Pilots at German flagship provider Lufthansa voted on Sunday (31 July) by a margin of 97.6% in favour of business motion, threatening additional disruption through the busy summer time journey season.
Strikes and employees shortages have already compelled airways together with Lufthansa to cancel 1000’s of flights and brought about hours-long queues at main airports, irritating holidaymakers eager to journey after COVID-19 lockdowns.
The vote doesn’t essentially imply a strike might be held, but it surely was a sign to the employer that constructive steps wanted to be taken, pilot’s union Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) board member Marcel Groels mentioned.
“We’re displaying we’re prepared to speak,” he added.
A spokesperson for Lufthansa mentioned they revered the outcomes of the vote and hoped for a constructive resolution on the negotiating desk.
Pilots’ union VC is demanding a 5.5% pay rise this yr for its pilots and computerized inflation compensation thereafter.
It additionally needs a uniform pay construction for all employees on the Lufthansa group’s airways, which embody flagship provider Lufthansa in addition to funds unit Eurowings.
Lufthansa has already been rocked by strike motion by its floor employees on Wednesday, which compelled the provider to cancel greater than 1,000 flights.
Individually, pilots at Lufthansa’s Swiss Worldwide Air Strains (SWISS) unit rejected by an 80% margin a contract proposal, their Aeropers labour union mentioned on Sunday, including that it aimed to renew negotiations with SWISS administration as quickly as doable.
“If administration continues to not recognise the indicators of the occasions and doesn’t instantly provide satisfactory options, then the pilots should present the administration much more clearly how dissatisfied they’re,” it mentioned with out elaborating.
The present contract expired in April after administration rejected a tentative deal from preliminary talks, Aeropers mentioned.
