Cabin crews from Spanish airline Iberia yesterday axed plans for a series of one-day strikes in the coming weeks after reaching a pay agreement with the carrier, a union spokesman said.
"We have removed the notice (of strike action) after a verbal agreement reached on Thursday with management, that we should sign (on Friday)," said Alfredo Gutierrez, a spokesman for union SITCPLA.
Iberia said the cabin crews would get a four-percent pay increase for 2009, as unions had been demanding in the row which had been running for several weeks.
The move marks the first pay increase for staff since their salaries were frozen in 2005.
Following the agreement, cabin crews axed plans to walk out on November 30, and on December 1, 2, 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18.
The staff had already gone on strike on four days in the salary row, in October and this month, which led to Iberia cancelling more than 700 flights.
British Airways and Iberia last week agreed to a tie-up which will create Europe's second-biggest airline by market capitalisation after Lufthansa. British Airways would be the dominant partner, holding 55 per cent of the new company, while Iberia will hold 45 per cent.
Airlines have been hard hit by the global economic downturn and Iberia last month announced a savings plan, which included a hiring freeze and a salary freeze.
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4% over four years doesn't sound like much of a victory does it? Doesn't even say it's backdated. Can we say "hollow victory"? Or perhaps "Let's settle for something quickly before that Walsh fellow takes over"?