Labor unions of Airbus launched a big strike from Monday noon for better payment and hiring, suspending assembly proceeding of some long-haul aircraft, local media reported.

Spreading from Toulouse since midday, which harbors the main Airbus plant in southwest France, the strike has affected other western cities like Nantes and Saint-Nazaire.

Labor unions called on workers to "block the unloading from freight planes Beluga, which bring aircraft sections produced in other European plants," Jean-Francois Knepper, leader of the union Workers Force, said at a news conference in Toulouse, according to local media.

"This is the first time that five labor unions jointly mobilized for payment, working condition and employment," said Alain Milhau, a CGT Union official.

The strike, expected to last till midnight, is reportedly to affect the production of long-haul aircraft A330s and A340s on the day, and to disrupt the assembly of A320s and A380s on the following days.

Earlier reports said that thousands of Airbus workers went off production lines on Friday before the company management agreed to raise wages by 1.5 to 1.9 percent for 2010 from the level of 2009. However, Airbus workers continued the strike up to this week as the payment rise was lower than their demand of 3.5 percent.

The Airbus group has so far made no comment on this strike and its public hotline was not answered.