FRANKFURT: An attempt by Deutsche Lufthansa to avert a planned cabin crew strike at the airline’s Germanwings unit failed yesterday as their trade union rejected management concessions as insufficient.
An offer by Lufthansa’s short-haul budget division to enter mediation and make concessions on part-time working was jilted by cabin crew union UFO, which said it would proceed with the strike from Monday to Wednesday next week as announced on Friday.
The strike is an escalation of a months-long dispute with Lufthansa and its subsidiaries over pay and pensions.
As well as demanding higher wages, especially for entry-level jobs, the UFO union is seeking better benefits and easier routes into long-term contracts.
Lufthansa cabin crew struck for two days in November, resulting in the cancellation of one in five flights, affecting around 180,000 passengers and costing the airline between 10 and 20 million euros ($11-$22m).
A one-day warning strike in October led to several dozen flight cancellations at Eurowings, Germanwings, SunExpress and Lufthansa CityLine.
Lufthansa for a long time refused to discuss the demands, claiming the union no longer had the right to represent its 22,000 cabin crew employees after an internal leadership struggle. The company even challenged UFO’s legal status in court.
But Germany’s flagship carrier unexpectedly changed its stance during November’s stoppage, agreeing to arbitration with UFO leaders and two mediators.
Neither UFO nor Lufthansa have given details about the arbitration talks, but German media have reported they couldn’t even agree on which topics should be covered.
According to German media, aside from pushing its labour demands, UFO is also seeking assurances that flight attendants won’t face disciplinary action over the strikes.
Four of the Lufthansa group’s smaller subsidiary airlines have also taken part in walkouts as part of the months-long row.