Pilots of the Lufthansa airline group, which includes the low-cost airline Germanwings, have decided to go on strike next week, the pilots’ union Cockpit announced on Wednesday in Frankfurt am Main.
"The strike is expected to last from Monday to Thursday," said Cockpit representative Ilona Ritter. She explained that the union has called on all its members to cease work during that time. Lufthansa, along with its subsidiaries, employs about 4,500 pilots. In addition to the pilots of the largest European airline Lufthansa, Germanwings pilots are also expected to join the strike. This low-cost company operates connections between several German and Croatian destinations. The strike is a result of unsuccessful negotiations between the union and the employer.
The union has requested an extension of the period during which there would be no layoffs, which expired at the end of last year, and a 6.4 percent salary increase. Lufthansa’s management rejected the Cockpit union’s request, citing poor business results and a crisis-induced decline in passenger numbers. On Wednesday, statistical data was also released indicating the largest drop in passenger numbers in German air traffic in the last 20 years. In 2009, there was a recorded 4.5 percent decrease in passengers compared to 2008, which is linked to the global crisis. According to Lufthansa’s statement, the crisis has also resulted in a lower number of flights in first and business class. Lufthansa pilots last went on strike in 2001, which caused a complete collapse of German civil air traffic. (H)
