STRIKE action by thousands of JobCentre and benefits office staff has been postponed at the 11th hour after employers tabled a new pay offer.

However, 20,000 civil servants across the country who are subject to separate pay deals are still expected to walk out with the two-day action hitting crown and county courts and Prison Service administration and support.

The processing by the Home Office of asylum claims is also set to be affected.

A two-day walkout by JobCentre and benefits staff was due to take place today and tomorrow, possibly affecting up to 14,500 Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) staff in the North-East.

But the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union said the action, in protest at a pay deal it claimed was worth 2.6 per cent, was being suspended for two weeks so fresh talks could take place.

The DWP had insisted its offer was worth an average of five per cent, with some of its staff receiving eight per cent, and said it was prepared to negotiate over the structure of the deal.

PCS spokesman Alex Flynn said: "We expect there to be a significant number of people still on strike, given the strength of feeling that there is amongst our members who have had below inflation pay offers imposed on them which amount in real terms to a cut.

"Courts and their running order will be disrupted with some having to be postponed and we're also expecting the transfer and processing of some prisoners to be affected."

Last night it emerged that some crown court judges would be forced to run their own courts in the place of absent clerks.

Alan McQuaid, acting manager at the Teesside Courts Complex, which will remain open along with courts in Newcastle and Durham, said they would be operating at a reduced staffing level.

He said: "We may not be able to deal with all the business that we usually would and some may be carried over to Monday.

"We will also not be able to provide a court clerk in every single court, but this has been discussed with the judges and they happy to continue with work as far as is possible."

As well as clerks, ushers and some office staff will be missing with notices being put up in courts warning of a severely restricted service.

Brian Caton, general secretary of the Prison Officers' Association, told The Northern Echo that its members supported the action and warned that they had been instructed not to do any tasks usually carried out by Prison Service administrative staff