Lufthansa Crews To Vote In Strike Ballot
February 20, 2009
German union UFO said it will start balloting cabin crew members at Lufthansa on Monday for industrial action, escalating a wage dispute that has grounded dozens of flights over past weeks.
"The balloting does not rule out warning strikes in the meantime," UFO said on Friday.
The ballot will continue until March 9, the union said. German trade unions commonly require at least 75 percent of their members to vote for action before launching open-ended strikes.
A fourth round of wage talks in which Lufthansa offered a wage increase of up to 10 percent failed earlier this week. The package includes better work conditions and profit sharing.
Pushing for a better offer, cabin crews represented by UFO have staged protests twice in the past weeks, forcing the carrier to cancel dozens of flights and cope with delays.
Last July, Lufthansa's passenger numbers were hurt by strikes by ground staff and cabin crew as well as walkouts by regional pilots that forced the carrier to cut flights.
The wage agreement that ended that walkout added about EUR100 million euros (USD$125.8 million) a year to costs, the company has said.
Lufthansa earlier this month raised its full-year 2008 outlook, saying its fourth-quarter had yielded stronger results than expected, aided by lower fuel costs.
