Lufthansa Pilots To Strike Tuesday & Wednesday

November 28, 2016

The VC pilots union at Lufthansa has given notice of further strikes on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week.

The Vereinigung Cockpit union called strikes from 00:01 to 23:59 on Tuesday 29th and Wednesday 30th November. These are the fifth and sixth 24 hour strikes over the last week.

The Tuesday strike is for short-haul flights, while Wednesday’s is for all Lufthansa flights departing Germany. Other Lufthansa group airlines - Lufthansa CityLine, Germanwings, Eurowings, Air Dolomiti, Austrian Airlines, SWISS and Brussels Airlines - are not affected.

VC said there was no negotiable offer by Lufthansa and that industrial action must continue. The union said it regrets the impact on passengers, cabin crew and ground staff.

Lufthansa said it was disappointed that the union does not want to continue talks, but is seeking another escalation. VC’s demands “are far beyond what other professions have demanded. This is unacceptable,” it said in a statement.

Over the four days of strikes last week almost 350,000 passengers were affected by 2,755 flight cancellations. Around 1,800 flights are expected to be cancelled in this latest round of strikes.

The Vereinigung Cockpit union is seeking a 3.66 percent average pay increase for the last five years. Lufthansa on Friday offered a 4.4 percent increase in two stages and a one-off payment. VC turned down the offer.

(Airwise)