A SERIES of strikes which may have forced Southampton airport, along with six other major ones in the UK, to close were last night suspended when bosses made an improved pay deal.

The first four of five planned walk-outs by the Transport and General Workers' Union (TGWU) was shelved so workers could consider the new pay offer, worth an average increase of £1,400.

They were due to start on Thursday.

But the fifth day of strike action, scheduled for December 23, will go ahead if the pay row is not resolved. Talks were continuing with a smaller union, Amicus, which is also planning strikes.

The two unions voted to take industrial action after the British Airports Authority (BAA) made a pay offer which it claimed was worth a minimum of 6.3 per cent over two years.

Workers were said to have felt frustrated by the deal, citing the company's big profits this year compared with their own increased workloads and responsibilities following the September 11 terrorist attacks. Talks were held with conciliation service ACAS and the TGWU announced that it had suspended the first four days of strike action after BAA said it would up its offer to an average increase of seven per cent on basic pay over two years.

TGWU national secretary for civil air transport Tim Lyle said: "To provide a pause for peace and to protect the union's legal position, the T&G is suspending the first four days of strike action at BAA's seven airports."