Friday, May 27 2005 12:56 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

London: A planned 48-hour strike by British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) staff next week was today (May 27, 2005) suspended after talks between the corporation and unions.

Plans to hold the strike on Tuesday (May 31, 2005) and Wednesday (June 1, 2005) were suspended after unions said management had made significant concessions over privatisation during 20 hours of talks over plans to axe almost 4,000 jobs.

A joint statement from the Bectu, the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) and Amicus unions said the BBC unions had agreed to put the corporation's latest proposal to a meeting of representatives on Tuesday.

"The unions are not recommending acceptance of this proposal.

"However, in order to allow for proper consideration and as a gesture of goodwill, the planned strikes on May 31 and June 1 have been suspended," the statement said.

They said they reserved the right to call further strike action should the BBC's proposals be turned down by members.

The BBC said it welcomed the decision and that it was having a "productive relationship" with unions.

The unions will meet on Tuesday to discuss their next step.

The director of BBC People, Stephen Dando said, "The BBC believes an opportunity to resolve this dispute is now in sight...we welcome the union's decision to suspend next week's industrial action whilst they consult their members."