Pilot strikes could be looming at Lufthansa (LHAB) (LHA) after talks with union Vereinigung Cockpit ended without a deal being reached.
Four days of talks ended on August 19, 2022, and management then made a revised offer on the morning of August 25, 2022. VC said it had been discussing the next steps since talks ended and that while the fresh offer was a step in the right direction, it was not sufficient.
“Currently we are too far apart from each other. Alongside compensating for the loss of pay in real terms, we need a modern solution for pay structures in all job groups,” Matthias Baier, spokesman for VC explained in a press statement dated August 25, 2022.
The union’s members voted overwhelmingly in favor of strike action on July 31, 2022, in a signal to management during the pay talks.
“The legal and organizational steps required for a strike have begun. However, VC’s door remains open,” the statement declared.
It won’t be the first strike for Lufthansa (LHAB) (LHA) this year. On July 27, 2022, the German flag carrier was forced to cancel virtually all its flights from its Frankfurt and Munich hubs after ground staff walked out in a row over pay and conditions.
The airline came to a deal with union Verdi, which represents 20,000 Lufthansa (LHAB) (LHA) ground staff, a week later, setting the stage for other employee groups to push their demands.