Kuwait yields to airline demands after strike

KUWAIT CITY (AP) — Kuwait says it plans to meet pay hike demands of Kuwait Airways workers after a strike grounded flights.

The official Kuwait News Agency quoted on Tuesday the acting communications minister, Saleh al-Athaina, as saying the pay increases would be approved within a month. The Kuwaiti media reported the pay boosts could reach 30 percent.

It was the latest concession by Kuwait during a wave of strikes for better salaries and benefits in the oil-rich Gulf nation.

On Monday, about half the flights by Kuwait’s state airline were canceled or delayed as workers stayed off the job. Normal service was reported Tuesday.

A strike by customs workers earlier this month threatened to disrupt oil supplies in the OPEC nation.