Lufthansa faces further strike action on 23 November

The Frankfurt-headquartered German airline pilots’ association Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) has called for strike action on 23 November from between 00:01 and 23:59 (local times). A statement from Lufthansa confirmed today (22 November) that the German flag-carrier‘s short and long-haul flights out of the country will be affected.
VC has been in a long-running wage dispute with Lufthansa and this latest strike action on the part of the airline’s pilots will be the latest of many such walkouts to have impacted the carrier.
A statement from VC declared: “After more than five and a half years without pay raise, VC is demanding an average salary increase of 3.66 per cent annually – a demand which is below many salary increases demanded by other unions in Germany for the same period.
“For several years now, Lufthansa has prospered and after record earnings last year, the financial result for 2016 will be excellent again. The executive and supervisory boards seem to see it the same way, as is apparent in their salary increases of 30 per cent and more.
“Despite numerous requests by VC, Lufthansa has not presented an acceptable offer for a pay deal but instead significantly reduced offers made previously.
“Any increase in salaries was to be compensated in other areas. This rather untypical behavior concerning negotiations for a pay deal can only be interpreted as an attempt to create a favourable position for an arbitration, which Lufthansa indeed put on the table just recently. Under such preconditions, VC does not see any basis for an arbitration.
However, Lufthansa has insisted that, “This call for strike is not the right way.”
It insisted: “Several times, Lufthansa offered the VC a mediation to solve the collective labour agreement conflict with the help of a third person. This was always rejected by the VC.
“Instead, the VC is now calling for strike action, which will mostly affect customers and colleagues.
“The VC is ignoring the option of a mediation and is thereby not taking care of its responsibility as a collective bargaining partner.”
Lufthansa said that it is to create “a special timetable” for operations over the affected period, which will impact on both cargo and passenger movements.