Lufthansa Cargo pilots set to join tomorrow’s strike action

Pilots at Lufthansa and Lufthansa Cargo will take part in a 24-hour strike starting tomorrow as negotiations between unions and the airline over a new pay deal “failed”.

The Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) union said that the strike would start on September 2 at 00:01hrs and end at 23:59hrs.

A Lufthansa Cargo spokesperson said: “After the strike call was announced, Lufthansa Cargo immediately took measures to minimise any restrictions in flight and handling operations for its customers.

“However, it is expected that there will be changes to Lufthansa’s and Lufthansa Cargo’s flight schedule on Friday, depending on the strike participation. Details of this are being examined. Our willingness to continue negotiating solutions with VC remains.”

Explaining the strike, the pilot union said that a pay offer made by Lufthansa does not go far enough.

Marcel Gröls, chairman of VC’s collective bargaining policy said: “In order to avert labour disputes, Lufthansa must present a significantly improved offer.

“We’re too far apart at the moment. In addition to compensating for the loss in real wages, what we now need above all is a future-proof solution for the remuneration structure in all professional groups.”

Lufthansa said the strike would 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,” the carrier said. “Lufthansa will do everything possible to minimise the impact of the strike measures.”

The airline said that it couldn’t understand the union’s strike action after it had made a “very good and socially balanced offer”.

“The Group has presented an offer with an 18-month term, in which pilots at Lufthansa and Lufthansa Cargo will receive a total of €900 more in basic pay per month in two stages.

“This will benefit entry-level salaries in particular. An entry-level co-pilot will receive more than 18% additional basic pay over the duration of the agreement, while a captain in the final stage will receive 5%.”

The airline group said that the union’s proposal would increase cockpit payroll costs by an estimated 40% over the next two years.

Earlier this year, Lufthansa Cargo ground workers joined strike action being called by Germany’s ver.di union, although this dispute has seen been resolved.

Meanwhile, the cargo division has been reporting record results over recent quarters on the back of soaring airfreight rates.