The RMT trade union has suspended rail strikes called for Thursday, March 30, and Saturday, April 1st, which would have halted Cotswold Line train services both days.
The union said that it was calling off the strikes to allow time for more talks about a revised pay offer with the Rail Delivery Group, which represents train operators, including Great Western Railway.
The union said that, pending a resolution of the dispute, it would continue to make preparations for a fresh ballot of its members when the current mandate for industrial action over pay and terms & conditions runs out in mid-May.
A Rail Delivery Group spokesperson said: “We are now jointly focused on working constructively towards a settlement to this dispute, which will mean we can do what we have always wanted to do – give our people a pay rise and help secure the long-term future of the railway, with rewarding careers for all those who work on it.”