(new: statement added)
FRANKFURT (dpa-AFX) – At Lufthansa, the strikes by flying staff continue with little change in severity. On Tuesday, hundreds of flights from the core company and the regional subsidiary Cityline were canceled due to the pilots’ second day of strike. A similar situation can also be expected on Wednesday and Thursday because the flight attendants will stop working then. The tourism industry is warning of millions in costs and damage to Germany’s image.
Germany’s largest airline had to cancel more than 900 take-offs and landings for Tuesday at its hubs in Frankfurt and Munich alone. However, departures of the Lufthansa holiday airline Eurowings, which went on strike for the first time on Monday, took place again as planned in Berlin, Düsseldorf and other airports. Lufthansa Cargo also went on strike in the dispute over pilots’ company pensions.
Fifth wave of strikes at the ceremony
With the fifth wave of strikes by flying staff starting on Wednesday, the ceremony planned for that day to mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of the first Lufthansa will also be overshadowed. The unions are planning a rally in front of the company headquarters at Frankfurt Airport. Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder (both CDU) are expected to attend the Lufthansa event in the company’s new visitor center.
The fronts between the collective bargaining parties continue to harden. While the pilots’ union Cockpit Association is demanding offers on the controversial issues surrounding company pensions and income, management rejects any cost increases for the low-profit core airline. Human resources manager Michael Niggemann warned that every strike would reduce the size of the affected airline.
The situation is similar with the cabin union UFO, which is on strike for better working conditions according to the collective agreement and wants to achieve a social plan for Cityline employees. In an interview with the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” (Tuesday), Lufthansa boss Carsten Spohr made it clear that the board of directors and supervisory board are sticking to the adopted strategy: “We only operate aircraft where they generate value.”
Tourism industry complains about millions in costs
Criticism of the unions’ course also came from the Federal Association of the German Tourism Industry (BTW). “Such strike tirades, as is currently the case in air traffic, are causing millions of dollars in damage to the tourism industry,” said President Sören Hartmann. “Not to mention the damage to Germany’s image in the world.” Canceled hotel stays, cruises that could not be taken or package holidays that had to be rebooked led to significant additional expenses for the companies.
The right to strike is a valuable asset, said Hartmann. “However, this must never be used by the unions in an inflationary manner.” The tourism industry is under great pressure due to the many crises, especially the Iran war. The strikes by UFO and the Cockpit Association are disproportionate./ceb/DP/jha
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