Mayday, mayday!

8 September 2015 By Olaf Storbeck

The German airline can’t afford to buy peaceful labour relations with endless concessions. By claiming damages from the pilots union for losses incurred at the 2014 strike, Lufthansa boss Carsten Spohr has drawn a line. The carrier’s bloated costs mean victory is required.

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Lufthansa is suing the pilot union Vereinigung Cockpit over the legality of a strike at Lufthansa Cargo in April 2014, the carrier said on Sept. 8. Lufthansa claims the cargo unit had a valid pay agreement at that time, adding that the costs of the April strike for the group totalled 60 million euros.

The Frankfurt-based airline group also said it will no longer take on any new pilots at its main brand Lufthansa, it’s German low-cost subsidiary Germanwings and its cargo units, leading to those businesses shrinking.

The carrier’s management and the pilots union are embroiled in a long-running dispute over pay, retirement benefits and cost cuts. The pilots called for a two-day strike, targeting Lufthansa’s intercontinental flights on Sept. 8 and short-haul traffic on Sept. 9. The union does not rule out extending the walkout. Sept. 8’s strike is the thirteenth in 18 months.

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