Talks aim to bring Kuwait strikes to a close

Workers in Kuwait’s customs and at Kuwait Airways Corp will discuss suspending their strike before parliament holds a special session March 23 to debate their demands, a customs union official said on Tuesday. “If a suspension is agreed upon, it would only be to assuage pressure on lawmakers and enable them to speak on our behalf” in the session, Fahaad al-Ajmi, a union board member, said by phone. The stoppage is over pay and benefits. Operations at Kuwait’s ports, border crossings and the airport were disrupted starting March 13 when about 3,600 customs workers stopped work. A number of Kuwait Airways flights were canceled after staff went on strike two days ago. The strike is the second by customs workers since October.