The Lufthansa machines should stay on the ground.
(Photo: dpa)
Frankfurt In the collective bargaining dispute with Lufthansa, the pilots want to go on strike on Friday. The employer did not submit an improved offer this week, so that the negotiations failed, the union Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) said on Wednesday. “Therefore, the only thing left for us to do is to enforce our demands with a labor dispute.”
The VC insists on real wage protection in times of high inflation and improvements in the remuneration structure. The cockpit staff of the passenger airline Lufthansa and the cargo line Lufthansa Cargo have been called to strike from 00.01 a.m. to 11.59 p.m. on September 2nd. Lufthansa initially did not want to comment on the call for a strike.
Lufthansa flights departing from Germany are to be on strike. The one-day strike is likely to lead to massive flight cancellations and thwart the travel plans of thousands of passengers. In the summer, Lufthansa canceled thousands of flights due to a lack of staff at airports and at the airline itself. That alone caused frustration among customers.
With a day’s notice on Thursday, the Lufthansa management could still respond to the call for a strike, which is likely to be largely followed by the well-organized pilots. “In order to avert labor disputes, Lufthansa must present a significantly improved offer,” explained VC collective bargaining director Marcel Gröls.
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For the more than 5,000 aircraft drivers of the core brand Lufthansa and the freight subsidiary Lufthansa Cargo, VC is demanding a 5.5 percent increase in salary on July 1 and automatic inflation compensation from 2023. In addition, starting salaries are to be raised and rise faster. Lufthansa is prepared to increase salaries by 5.5 percent, but according to the VC, the change in the tariff structure was particularly problematic. The company argues that given the high level of debt after the Corona crisis, costs should not rise sharply.
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