aboahmed
07-31-2008, 02:20 PM
Strike threatens Lufthansa flights at Frankfurt and Hamburg
Reuters, The Associated Press
Published: July 29, 2008
BERLIN: A strike for higher pay by the ground crew and cabin staff at Lufthansa was expected to disrupt operations Monday at two international airports in Germany after a major union voted overwhelmingly to walk off the job.
The union, ver.di, representing 52,000 airline industry workers, planned to begin its strike at midnight Sunday, focusing initially on the largest German airport, in Frankfurt, and the airport at the northern hub of Hamburg.
Union officials said the strike, the first in 13 years at Lufthansa, would affect all support areas, from catering and cargo to maintenance and repair staff. More than 90 percent of union members voted to strike, ver.di said Friday.
"Our strike is not aimed at passengers - our goal is to put financial pressure on the company," a ver.di spokesman, Harald Reutter, said Sunday. "It's up to Lufthansa to decide how many flights are canceled."
Earlier ver.di had been vague about where the strikes would start. The union planned walkouts at the 10 largest German airports - Frankfurt, Munich, Berlin, Hamburg, Düsseldorf, Stuttgart, Nuremberg, Hannover, Leipzig and Bremen.
Ver.di, which has lost influence since the previous Lufthansa strike in 1994, is seeking pay increases of 9.8 percent for one year. Lufthansa, the second-biggest European airline after Air France-KLM, in terms of passenger numbers, is offering 6.7 percent over 21 months and a one-time payment.
Lufthansa has said it would have to see where the strikes took place before deciding how many domestic and international flights it would cancel. It has said it hoped to juggle nonstriking staff to limit the impact of the walkout.
"We'll have to wait and see," a Lufthansa spokeswoman said Sunday. "The top priority is to try to limit the impact to as few passengers as possible."
Facing heavy criticism from political and industry leaders, the union was likely to limit the action to targeted strikes. Ver.di is open to new talks if Lufthansa improves its offer, the union leader, Erhard Ott, said. Wage talks broke down on July 10.
Reuters, The Associated Press
Published: July 29, 2008
BERLIN: A strike for higher pay by the ground crew and cabin staff at Lufthansa was expected to disrupt operations Monday at two international airports in Germany after a major union voted overwhelmingly to walk off the job.
The union, ver.di, representing 52,000 airline industry workers, planned to begin its strike at midnight Sunday, focusing initially on the largest German airport, in Frankfurt, and the airport at the northern hub of Hamburg.
Union officials said the strike, the first in 13 years at Lufthansa, would affect all support areas, from catering and cargo to maintenance and repair staff. More than 90 percent of union members voted to strike, ver.di said Friday.
"Our strike is not aimed at passengers - our goal is to put financial pressure on the company," a ver.di spokesman, Harald Reutter, said Sunday. "It's up to Lufthansa to decide how many flights are canceled."
Earlier ver.di had been vague about where the strikes would start. The union planned walkouts at the 10 largest German airports - Frankfurt, Munich, Berlin, Hamburg, Düsseldorf, Stuttgart, Nuremberg, Hannover, Leipzig and Bremen.
Ver.di, which has lost influence since the previous Lufthansa strike in 1994, is seeking pay increases of 9.8 percent for one year. Lufthansa, the second-biggest European airline after Air France-KLM, in terms of passenger numbers, is offering 6.7 percent over 21 months and a one-time payment.
Lufthansa has said it would have to see where the strikes took place before deciding how many domestic and international flights it would cancel. It has said it hoped to juggle nonstriking staff to limit the impact of the walkout.
"We'll have to wait and see," a Lufthansa spokeswoman said Sunday. "The top priority is to try to limit the impact to as few passengers as possible."
Facing heavy criticism from political and industry leaders, the union was likely to limit the action to targeted strikes. Ver.di is open to new talks if Lufthansa improves its offer, the union leader, Erhard Ott, said. Wage talks broke down on July 10.