Strikes at Lufthansa subsidiary airlines cause cancellations

World Sunday 20/October/2019 23:31 PM
By: Times News Service
Strikes at Lufthansa subsidiary airlines cause cancellations

Berlin: Collective action by a German cabin crew union disrupted Eurowings, Germanwings, Lufthansa Cityline and Sunexpress flights on Sunday.

The strike is set to last until midnight (22:00 UTC), after it was extended for 13 hours at short notice.

Airports in Berlin, Munich, Cologne-Bonn and Düsseldorf have so far canceled connecting flights because of the action.

A strike by UFO union members has caused widespread delays and cancellations in airports in western Germany. At least 15 flights from the German carrier Eurowings were canceled at Berlin’s airports, according to a spokeswoman.

Munich airport reported 10 cancelations on Sunday morning.

“The affected airlines are making do with all personnel who are not organized (in the union); we’ll have to wait and see what the day brings,” a spokesman from Munich airport cautioned.

A spokesman from Düsseldorf airport, where four connections have been canceled, also predicted more cancelations throughout the day. It is reporting that 60 flights are at risk.

Ongoing dispute
The UFO union, which organized the strike, initially planned to last between 5 a.m and 11 a.m. local time (03:00 UTC and 09:00 UTC).

Explaining the decision to extend the length of the walkout, deputy UFO chairman Daniel Flohr said “the group (Lufthansa) has quickened its pace, with consequences not only for workers’ rights, but also in terms of job losses.”

“Such an approach, unfortunately, does not make it seem likely that we can reach an agreement on our demands,” added Flohr.

He added that there could be further walkouts at Lufthansa itself, where UFO on Friday called off a planned warning strike for Sunday.

Lufthansa has called the strike action illegal. The company also maintains that the union’s new leaders, who took office earlier this year, were not properly elected and are thus not in a position to legally represent staff.
UFO organized the walkout over worker’s wages, company pensions and part-time work provisions. It is looking for a 2% pay rise for its cabin crew, after it won a 2% pay rise for cabin crew at Lufthansa.