Workers at the biggest German airline Lufthansa walked out on strike yesterday to press for higher pay, but service did not appear to be seriously affected in the action’s early hours.
“There have been no cancelations and no delays,” an employee at Frankfurt airport said.
Spokespeople for Lufthansa — one of the world’s biggest airlines — were not available for comment, but a hotline operator said “a few flights have been canceled.”
PHOTO: EPA
Ground personnel and flight crews began to walk off the job at midnight after members of the Verdi trade union voted overwhelmingly last week for a strike.
The newspaper Die Welt quoted Verdi as saying the strike would cost Lufthansa 5 million euros (US$7.9 million) a day.
It could have even wider effects, because Lufthanasa ground personnel also service aircraft from about 50 other companies at major German airports.
“We want to begin by concentrating on technical services such as aircraft maintenance and after that other parts of the company will be drawn in,” Verdi leader Erhard Ott told the Financial Times Deutschland newspaper.
Lufthansa’s Internet site confirmed that its technical and catering divisions were initial targets of the action.
“Lufthansa has taken measures to minimize the impact on its passengers,” it said.
On Friday, the German railway Deutsche Bahn said it was well-prepared to handle extra demand after working out a contingency plan with the airline.
Another possible victim could be German athletes scheduled to compete at the Olympic Games in Beijing, which start on Aug. 8, as a large contingent was to leave tomorrow.
Lufthansa would probably arrange for them to be carried by other airlines such as Air China, with which the German carrier has cooperative agreements.
Lufthansa transports 150,000 people daily on average and July is one of its busiest months.
Verdi wants a 9.8 percent pay raise over a year for about 50,000 workers, while Lufthansa has offered 6.7 percent over 21 months.
Lufthansa boss Wolfgang Mayrhuber has said the air carrier “cannot do any more” than its latest offer owing to “extremely limited economic room to maneuver.”
But unions point to Lufthansa’s operating profit last year of 1.38 billion euros, a figure it expects to reach again this year, as proof it can afford to meet workers’ demands.
Amid growing competition among carriers and tough conditions because of soaring prices for jet fuel, Lufthansa has held its own and maintained its targets for this year.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS