Phone Calls Stalled in Pay Dispute in Mexico

Workers with the state-owned telephone company carried out three 30-minute work stoppages to press their demand that they be granted an emergency 23% pay increase, a union leader said Tuesday.

Carlos Garibay Saldate said the stoppages Monday at the Telefonos de Mexico were carried out by operators who refused to place long distance calls during the stoppages. Automatically placed calls were also suspended during the three periods.