The German pilots’ union Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) has called on its members at Lufthansa and Lufthansa Cargo to strike on Friday (September 2). This will affect Lufthansa and Lufthansa Cargo departures at German airports.
The airline is unable to provide more specific information on the impact of the walkouts at this time. Passengers are requested to continuously check www.lufthansa.com for information regarding their flight.
The Lufthansa Group has presented an 18-month offer of €900 more in basic pay per month in two stages, plus guaranteeing cockpit staff a minimum fleet size.
VC is demanding a 5.5% wage increase by the end of the year and additional compensation above inflation as of January 2023. In total, the demands of VC would increase cockpit payroll costs from €2.2bn by probably more than 40% – or approximately €900m – over the next two years, according to Lufthansa.
Michael Niggemann, Lufthansa’s Chief Human Resources Officer and Labour Director, says: "We cannot understand VC's call for a strike. The management has made a very good and socially balanced offer – despite the continuing burdens of the COVID crisis and uncertain prospects for the global economy. This escalation comes at the expense of many thousands of customers."
