Iberia pilots suspend strike pending arbitration‎

Spanish airline Iberia's main pilots' union said Friday its members had suspended a series of strikes planned to last until July after the government agreed to put their case to arbitration, which will be Jaime Montalvo.

The SEPLA union began striking every Monday and Friday on April 9, vowing to continue until July 20 in a dispute over the launch of budget offshoot Iberia Express.

The union said it had repeatedly "called for arbitration for a resolution to the conflict given the fact that it was impossible to negotiate with the management to save jobs."

Government spokeswoman Soraya Saenz de Santamaria said after a cabinet meeting that the "aim is to put an end to a row which is costing everybody dear and also seriously affects passengers."

The union has claimed the low cost carrier Iberia Express, which began flying on March 25, could lead to the loss of 8,000 jobs in the core airline.