Staff at dozens of universities in Britain have called off strike action in a long-running dispute over pay and working conditions, the University and College Union (UCU) said on Friday, after many employers agreed to end pay deductions.

Strikes originally planned at 140 universities later this month will now only take place in around 52, the UCU said. (Reporting by Farouq Suleiman, writing by Sachin Ravikumar, Editing by Kylie MacLellan)