MADRID (Reuters) - Spanish dock workers on Wednesday called off a planned three-day strike next week after the government said it would delay plans to reform the sector and instead open talks with the unions.

The standstill was due to take place every other hour on Feb. 20, 22 and 24 at dozens of Spanish ports which employ more than 6,000 stevedores and handle an estimated 500 million tonnes of merchandise a year.

The strike was called after the Spanish government announced plans to overhaul the way ports are managed and allow companies to hire their own personnel instead of unionized staff.

Export chains in Spain, especially the car industry, would face a major disruption if a strike of three days or more was to be held.