STRIKE action by more than 400 train staff at eight First Great Western stations including Oxford has been called off.

A 24-hour strike on Sunday was cancelled after the company dropped plans to extend the use of engineering contractors.

The firm said it would pay all overtime within the engineering grades at a time and quarter with effect from Sunday, June 8.

It also agreed to implement 35-hour week rosters and a 25 per cent increase in wages for some of the lowest paid cleaning staff.

RMT general secretary Bob Crow said: "The vast majority of FGW engineering and cleaning staff were still being paid the flat hourly rate for overtime, rather than the time-and-a-quarter enjoyed by other FGW staff, including train-crew and station staff."