by Lufthansa Flyer | Jun 22, 2015 | Featured, Lufthansa, Strike |
The union representing over 19,000 of Lufthansa’s Cabin Crew has once again drawn a line in the sand with threats of new strikes.
Earlier today, the union announced that unless a labor deal is reached by June 30, Cabin Crews would go on strike beginning July 1. They also posed a veiled threat suggesting numerous daily strikes until September 16, designed intentionally to cripple LH during the very busy summer holiday travel season.
The core of the problem comes from a long-drawn out battle over retirement age and pension benefits. With interests so low, pension programs are under strain and Lufthansa simply wants their crews to contribute more to their retirement programs in order to preserve an early retirement age of 55.
The union thinks that the employees shouldn’t take on the increased responsibility for their own future but yet offer no constructive alternatives to their strategy of ‘gimmee, gimmee, gimmee’.
by Lufthansa Flyer | May 20, 2015 | Featured, Strike |
Earlier this week I had mentioned the potential for crippling ATC strikes throughout Europe that would have wreaked havoc with Air Travel in June and July. Fortunately, cooler heads have prevailed since that announcement and it now appears that the threat of strikes has been greatly diminished.
In an announcement today, several unions in Europe who represent ATC employees have indicated their willingness to continue negotiations. At the heart of the matter is the EU proposal that seeks to centralize Air Traffic Control under one EU umbrella rather than each country having its own ATC system. ATC workers fear that such a consolidation would lead to widespread job loss, which would most likely be the case should centralization take place.
For now, it seems that summer travel should be ‘safe’ since the LH pilot’s union has agreed to arbitration and it looks like ATC strike threat has abated as well.
Welcomed news just in time for my trip to the Austrian Grand Prix later in June!
by Lufthansa Flyer | May 19, 2015 | Strike |
A week after their latest strike, Train Operators for Deutsche Bahn are set to strike again but this time they are calling for an open-ended strike. This means that the strike will have no end date and plans call for it to be at least a longer strike than last weeks 5 day walkout.
If last second negotiation fail today, Freight Train operations will grind to a halt this afternoon and passenger service will begin to feel the impact at 02:00a tomorrow (local Frankfurt time). The union said it will give 48 hours notice for the end of the strike. If they follow through on the threat, this strike will severely impact the upcoming Pentecost Holiday weekend in Germany.
Behind the strike is the union’s desire to get a 5% raise for their train engineers and to also receive permission to represent other rail employees, not just the operator/drivers.
If your plans involve rail services in Germany over the next 7 days, be prepared for major inconveniences.
