Thousands of civil service workers in Bristol – along with colleagues across the country – have suspended strike action planned for Monday.

It means stoppages at government offices including job centres, tax offices, Acas, in Welsh back, Ofsted, in Redcliffe Way, and the defence procurement centre, at Abbey Wood, will not now go ahead.

An overtime ban proposed to start on Tuesday has also been called off for the time being.

It follows a letter to their union, the Professional and Commercial Services Union (PCS), from Cabinet Secretary and civil service chief Sir Gus O'Donnell.

He agreed a 28-day extension to the period during which the union can start its planned action.

This will allow further talks between the government and PCS to try to solve a row over pay.

Up to 260,000 PCS members – 3,000 of them in the greater Bristol area – had expected to take part in a one-day, UK-wide strike in a dispute over the government's public sector two per cent pay cap.

The union says this is resulting in real-term pay cuts and pay freezes for some of the lowest paid in the public sector.

PCS say the strike would have had "significant impact, hitting passports, job centres, tax credits, immigration and customs, as well as driving licences, coastguards, driving tests and museums."

Nearly 20 rallies and marches had been planned across the UK, including one in Bristol at Transport House, in Victoria Street.