Lufthansa, a German airline, said on Thursday that it will do everything it can to lessen the effects of a pilots’ strike that will start on Friday. It also defended its offer during salary talks.
The Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) said late Wednesday that wage negotiations had failed and that the strike will impact both passenger and freight flights.
This year, VC wants to give its more than 5,000 pilots a 5.5% raise in pay, with automatic adjustments for inflation after that.
Strikes and a lack of staff have already caused Lufthansa and other airlines to cancel hundreds of flights this summer and make people wait for hours at major airports, which is frustrating for vacationers who want to fly after COVID-19 lockdowns.
Related: Lufthansa shares increased after the company forecasted earnings recovery in 2022.
Michael Niggemann, a member of Lufthansa’s executive board in charge of human resources, said that the German airline had made a good, balanced offer during negotiations and that the strike would affect tens of thousands of passengers.
“We want to find answers at the bargaining table,” he said, adding that Lufthansa’s proposals provided a solid foundation for further discussions.
Lufthansa has offered a total of 900 euros ($901.35) more in basic pay per month for 18 months, as well as an agreement guaranteeing a minimum fleet size for cockpit employees.
($1 = 0.9985 euros)
