Kuwait Airways, customs workers suspend strike

Publicly owned Kuwait Airways and custom service employees suspended a strike on Tuesday to give the government a chance to fulfill their demands, they said in separate union statements. Kuwait Airways "has decided to suspend its strike until further notice to protect national interests and in order to give the government a chance to fulfill its (the carrier's) demands," said a union statement received by AFP. Insisting on a 30 per cent pay raise, airline employees began their strike on Saturday, forcing the cancellation of dozens of flights. Customs service employees also announced that they have "suspended the strike to ... give the government a chance to fulfill" their demands and out of "national sentiment," a statement said. Their strike, which started last week, had begun to affect the delivery of fresh produce. The price of fruit and vegetables has already risen by 15 percent, consumers say.