Lufthansa pilots elect commercial action over pay

Pilots at German flagship provider Lufthansa voted on Sunday by a margin of 97.6% in favor of commercial action, threatening additional disturbance throughout the hectic summertime travel season.

Strikes and personnel lacks have actually currently required airline companies consisting of Lufthansa to cancel countless flights and triggered hours-long lines at significant airports, discouraging holidaymakers keen to take a trip after Covid-19 lockdowns.

The vote does not always indicate a strike will be held, however it was a signal to the company that positive actions required to be taken, pilot’s union Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) board member Marcel Groels stated.

“We are showing we are ready to talk,” he included.

A representative for Lufthansa stated they appreciated the outcomes of the vote and expected a positive service at the negotiating table.

Pilots’ union VC is requiring a 5.5% pay increase this year for its pilots and automated inflation payment afterwards.

It likewise desires a consistent pay structure for all personnel at the Lufthansa group’s airline companies, that include flagship provider Lufthansa along with budget plan system Eurowings.

Lufthansa has actually currently been rocked by strike action by its ground personnel on Wednesday, which required the provider to cancel more than 1,000 flights.

Separately, pilots at Lufthansa’s Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) system declined by an 80% margin an agreement proposition, their Aeropers labor union stated on Sunday, including that it intended to resume settlements with SWISS management as quickly as possible.

“If management continues not to recognize the signs of the times and does not immediately offer adequate solutions, then the pilots must show the management even more clearly how dissatisfied they are,” it stated without elaborating.

The existing agreement ended in April after management declined a tentative offer from preliminary talks, Aeropers stated.