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Lufthansa Pilots To Strike Again On Thursday
December 3, 2014
Lufthansa pilots said they would strike again on Thursday on long-haul and cargo flights, after a two-day stoppage on Monday and Tuesday stranded thousands of people.
The Vereinigung Cockpit union said in a statement that short and medium-haul flights and those of budget carrier Germanwings would not be affected by the action on Thursday.
The strike, the ninth this year, forced Lufthansa to cancel close to half of its scheduled flights for Monday and Tuesday, affecting about 150,000 passengers.
Vereinigung Cockpit (VC), representing about 5,400 Lufthansa pilots, is fighting to retain a scheme allowing pilots to retire at 55 and still receive up to 60 percent of their pay before pension payments start at 65.
"We cannot keep doing this for the next year or two, we need to sit down and find a solution," Lufthansa spokeswoman Barbara Schaedler told Reuters.
Pilots however showed no sign of backing down, with VC board member Joerg Handwerg saying it could continue its walkouts into next year.
Lufthansa has said it would not accept a demand that new pilots, as well as those already with the company, should be able to retire at 55.
Under European Union law, pilots may legally fly until they are 65 but many airlines offer early retirement options.
According to VC, pilots at British Airways can take early retirement from 55, and pilots at KLM can stop work at 56.
The industrial action has already wiped EUR€160 million (USD$200 million) off Lufthansa's operating profit and the airline lowered its profit guidance for 2015 for a second time in October, increasing pressure to find an end to the dispute.
Lufthansa said it would be able to operate all scheduled cargo flights on Tuesday despite the strike.
(Reuters)