After collective bargaining failed, the Cockpit Association is calling on the pilots of Lufthansa and Lufthansa Cargo to go on strike on Friday. Almost all flights are canceled in Frankfurt and Munich.
“The negotiations have failed” – that is the summary of the Cockpit VC association on the talks with Lufthansa regarding the collective wage agreements. “The employer took advantage of yesterday’s negotiation date, but did not use it to move towards the union’s demands with an improved offer,” says a letter from the union, which represents the pilots.
Now the demands will be emphasized with a labor dispute. The Cockpit Association is calling on the pilots of Lufthansa Cargo and Lufthansa to go on strike on Friday (2 September) between 00:01 and 23:59. In detail, this means: All Lufthansa Cargo flights that take off from German airports will be on strike. The cockpit staff should also stop working on flights departing from Germany with Airbus A330, A340, A350, A319, A320, A321, Boeing 747-400 and 747-8.
Almost all flights in Frankfurt and Munich are canceled
Lufthansa explains that due to the strike announced for Friday, it has to cancel almost all flights to and from Frankfurt and Munich. “Lufthansa has to cancel 800 flights at the hubs in Frankfurt and Munich for Friday, and some flights will also be canceled this Thursday,” the company said. “It is expected that 130,000 passengers will be affected.”
With a view to the coming weekend, the end of the holidays in Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland, Lufthansa is working on normalizing flight operations as quickly as possible. “Nevertheless, the effects of the strike can still lead to individual flight cancellations or delays on Saturday and Sunday.”
Balanced or insufficient offer?
Marcel Gröls, chairman of collective bargaining at the Cockpit Association, says: “In order to avert labor disputes, Lufthansa must present a significantly improved offer.” He demands: “In addition to compensating for the loss in real wages, what we now need above all is a sustainable solution for the remuneration structure in all professional groups.”
Lufthansa Chief Human Resources Officer Michael Niggemann replies that Lufthansa has no understanding whatsoever of the call for a strike. “The employers made a very good and socially balanced offer – despite the lingering effects of the Corona crisis and uncertain prospects for the global economy,” says Niggemann.
Lufthansa defends its offer to cockpit crews
“Specifically, the group has submitted an offer with a term of 18 months, in which Lufthansa and Lufthansa Cargo pilots receive a total of 900 euros more in basic remuneration per month in two stages,” explains Niggemann. “A career starter as a co-pilot receives more than 18 percent additional basic remuneration over the term, a captain in the final stage 5 percent.”
Alternatively, they offered to redistribute all or part of this volume, for example for structural changes such as adjustments to the remuneration table, says the manager. The higher demands of the Cockpit Association would increase cockpit personnel costs from EUR 2.2 billion by more than 40 percent or around EUR 900 million over the next two years.
