Tunisair says strike to disrupt flight schedule

TUNIS (Reuters) - Tunisia's state-owned airline Tunisair expects major disruptions to its flights schedule on Thursday due to a planned nationwide strike and urged customers to change bookings, it said on Wednesday.

The country's biggest union, the UGTT, said on Tuesday it would call for a strike after talks with the government to reach a deal to raise the salaries of 670,000 public servants failed. [nL8N1ZF6HS]

Tunisia's economy has been in crisis since the toppling of autocrat Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali in 2011 threw it into turmoil, with unemployment and inflation shooting up.

About 670,000 public sector workers went on strike and thousands protested across Tunisia last November to press the government to raise wages.

The UGTT has around one million members, including public sector workers.

There was no sign that last-minute negotiations would take place to avert Thursday's strike.

(Reporting By Tarek Amara; Editing by Elaine Hardcastle)