Workers stage 3-hour strike in Cyprus to demand pay raises

Thousands of workers in Cyprus, including government employees, teachers and builders walked off the job Thursday for an island-wide, three-hour work stoppage to protest what they claim is employers' backpedaling on a deal for inflation-linked pay increases.

Some 14 trade unions representing a diverse range of workers from bus drivers to airport staff responded to a call by union bosses to stage the brief strike as a warning to employers and government mediators that they won't accept any rollbacks on what they say they're lawfully entitled to.

Hundreds of workers gathered in the capital, Nicosia, to march on the Labor Ministry demanding higher pay.

Some 22 flights in and out of the island's two airports shuttling 4,000 passengers will be affected by the strike. Airport operator Hermes says most flights have been rescheduled around the work stoppage.