The Ministry of Justice and the union representing court workers announced that the lengthy industrial action would cease from 1.30pm on Friday, 30 November.

Work to rule and lightning strikes have been taking place since mid-September over the pay of staff such as court registrars and reporters.

"The ministry is pleased to confirm that we made considerable progress on our bargaining negotiations during mediation with the PSA yesterday," says the ministry's Chief Executive Andrew Bridgman.

"We are finalising the details with the PSA.  While we do this, the PSA has agreed to cancel all industrial action, including all partial strike action."

"Both parties are committed to working through the final details and getting an offer out to our people," he says.

The Public Service Association is also welcoming the move.

“The progress made by getting back to the table with ministry officials has been sufficient for the PSA to agree to suspend industrial action from 1.30pm today that had previously been in place to continue until 7 December,” says Glenn Barclay, the PSA's national secretary.

“Furthermore, significant progress was made towards bargaining on a revised offer, with a high expected likelihood that negotiations will proceed to a settlement that PSA’s 2000-plus members at the ministry will then vote on whether to ratify or not.

“The next step is for an agreed document to be finalised between both parties by the end of next week,” he says.