ONE of the Saturday strikes planned by workers on South Western Railway in the bitter dispute over guards on trains has been called off.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union were due to launch 24-hour walkouts on the next four Saturdays following a five-day stoppage last week.

The union announced that the strike planned for November 10 will not go ahead, although the other action remains on.

RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: "Following consultation with our branches RMT's executive has decided to withdraw the strike action on South Western Railway planned for November 10.

"All other action scheduled in the dispute remains on and the union remains fully committed to using all industrial, political and campaigning tools at its disposal to secure the retention of the guard on SWR services.

"The union pays tribute to the members who have stood rock solid throughout the dispute, including throughout the five days of strike action that ended on Saturday, in the fight for safety, security and access on SWR trains.

"The union calls once again on the company to lift the embargo on talks and get back into negotiations around the principle of the guard guarantee and the highest safety standards agreed with the union elsewhere in the industry."

The Saturday strikes coincide with England rugby internationals at Twickenham, with the game on November 10 being against New Zealand.