London Underground planned tube strikes by drivers in London this week have been called off, the RMT union has announced.

The union said the two 24-hour stoppages from midday on Tuesday, which were set to disrupt travel over four days this week, had been suspended.

An RMT spokesperson said, "At the 11th hour the employer has shifted its position, allowing us to further explore our members’ concerns around the imposition of new rosters, fatigue and safety issues.

“The dispute is not over, and more strike action will follow if we fail to make sufficient progress.”

Strikes had also been scheduled for 16 and 18 June, which have now been changed to Tuesday 2 June, and Thursday, 4 June, should the differences over a planned four-day week not be resolved.

TfL had told customers to plan ahead and expect significant disruption during the strikes, with severely curtailed tube train services over four days, and no trains at all running on many lines.

The planned action would have followed a similar wave of strikes in April.

Nick Dent, director of customer operations for London Underground, said: "We are pleased that RMT has withdrawn its planned industrial action this week. This is good news for London.

"Our proposal for a voluntary four-day week is designed to improve both work-life balance for drivers and the reliability of service for customers.

"We look forward to further discussions on the implementation of these proposals with all of our trade unions."

The decision will spare hundreds of thousands of Underground users more travel misery.