LATAM Airlines workers in Peru to strike during World Cup

LIMA (Reuters) - LATAM Airlines maintenance workers in Peru will go on strike on June 26 and 27, high-traffic dates because of the World Cup in neighbouring Brazil, to press for higher wages, a union leader said on Thursday.

Oscar Angosto added that the protest by 200 workers at LATAM's local unit, Lan Peru, would stop all flights for the airline in Peru, and that workers in other countries might also strike in the future. The World Cup started on Thursday and ends on July 13.

"If there's no solution, this won't be the only strike," Angosto said. "There will be a strike in all of South America."

A local pilots' union said it would not join the strike.

Peru's labour ministry has authorized the strike dates and is trying to mediate a solution, Angosto said.

He said workers are now demanding a 6 percent wage increase after initially asking for a 50 percent raise.

LAN Peru could not be reached immediately by phone and email on Thursday.

(Reporting By Mitra Taj; Editing by Peter Galloway)