Iberia staff call off strike

The company has retreated on its plans to cut the benefits to which the workers claimed they were entitled and for which the staff were prepared to go out on an industrial strike. Airline sector representative for the Workers Commission, Carmen Diaz said yesterday that after four hours of negotiation, an agreement was reached which will be ratified at a Union Assembly on Monday next week. She alleged that what Iberia had in essence wanted to do was to cut the workers' pay by 50 euros a month and to alter working shifts so that it paid less for longer hours.