Spanish pilots hold second strike

MADRID, Spain -- Pilots at Spain's biggest airline have gone on strike over a pay claim.

The one-day action, which follows a similar strike last week, has forced Iberia to cancel more than 230 flights.

Iberia said it lost about $7 million during the first strike and estimates it will lose another $5 million on Tuesday.

The strike comes a day after the end of an unrelated coach drivers strike in Majorca which stranded thousands of British, German and Scandinavian tourists and disrupted flights to all the Balearic islands.

Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar has said the combined chaos threatens Spain's image as a tourism haven.

Iberia's pilots are demanding an end to a six-year pay freeze.

They have called strikes for every Tuesday in July and each Monday in August.

A meeting between the company and the unions, which was due to be held on Monday but which was cancelled, is scheduled for Wednesday.

Spain is among the world's top three tourist destinations and receives more than 40 million visitors a year.

Aznar publicly apologised for the disruption on the Balearic islands, especially Majorca.

The coach drivers ended their strike for higher pay at midnight on Sunday but are threatening to repeat their action unless their pay demands are met.

"They (the drivers) are threatening another walkout that could be indefinite this time," a spokesman for Majorca's international airport told Reuters.

A drivers' representative said he hoped a new strike could be avoided.

"We're not going to call a strike. We'll only do that if the talks fail or if there's no intent on the management side to solve this conflict," union leader Juan Ortiz said.

State radio said losses from the weekend strike could reach 20 billion pesetas ($100 million).

Aznar said: "I am concerned about the consequences for Spain's image, especially in a sector that is as economically important as tourism.

"This concern is backed by a call for responsibility among those who must make sure that things work, who must be able to negotiate agreements that are reasonable and positive for everyone."