
Lufthansa passengers must expect pilot strikes again. The union “Vereinigung Cockpit” announced late on Wednesday evening a day-long industrial action for this Friday, September 2nd. The board of directors decided this after intensive negotiations with the company and at the request of the collective bargaining committee, as a spokesman said.
The official reason is the failed negotiations on a new collective wage agreement from the point of view of the union. A subsequent round of exploratory talks behind closed doors and an improved offer from the company from last week did not produce any results either. A final attempt at negotiations this Wednesday was unsuccessful. The “Vereinigung Cockpit” (VC) says it wants salary increases of 5.5 percent in the current year and automatic inflation compensation from the coming year.
After the parent company Lufthansa, the pilots of the largest subsidiary Eurowings are also ready to go on strike. In a ballot that ended on Wednesday, 97.9 percent voted for a labor dispute, according to the Vereinigung Cockpit union.
The turnout was almost 90 percent, said a spokesman. An immediate date for strikes was not given. Negotiations with the employer about the disputed collective wage agreement are planned for the coming week.
The tariff conflict is officially about higher remuneration for the more than 5,000 pilots of the Lufthansa core company and the freight subsidiary Cargo. In addition to a new salary structure, the VC is demanding 5.5 percent more for this year and automatic inflation compensation from 2023.