News In Brief

Indian dockers back on job after costly 26-day strike

India's costliest labor dispute ended with 300,000 dockers straggling back to work Wednesday. The 26-day national port strike was called off late Tuesday night after the Indian government and unions agreed on pay raises which will boost the government's wage bill by about 21 percent. Under the new agreement, the minimum wage of a docker will rise from $32 a month to $55 and the top wage from $130 to

K. Nalinakshan, general manager of the Bombay Port Trust, in charge of India's biggest port, where 87 ships were stranded, said the strike's effects could be felt until the end of June.

Economic analysts estimated the strike cost the economy about $100 million a day.