41.   The civil servants also went on strike for two days in December to press for the wage agreement to be implemented.

42.   The delay in the new wage agreement is, however, only a relatively minor issue as the workers are usually compensated through arrears payments.

43.   The German Gesamtmetall employers association had signaled Sunday that the Lower Saxony wage agreement would be a model for other German wage districts.

44.   The first walkouts began Friday by garbage collectors seeking a new collective wage agreement and higher wages.

45.   The outcome of the conflict is important in establishing a precedent for the interpretation of an across-the-board wage agreement between employers and labor federations.

46.   The strike was called by the Histadrut trade union federation in a dispute with the government over pensions, wage agreements and government plans for privatization.

47.   The union said it wanted to prolong the old wage agreement that expired in March.

48.   The union also wants collective wage agreements to include all journalists, regardless of the media where they work.

49.   The union wants collective wage agreements to include all journalists, regardless of the media where they work.

50.   The wage agreement, proposed by government-appointed National Conciliator Juhani Salonius, came after nine hours of talks between the two parties.