Lufthansa pilots start strike over job security
BERLIN. February 23. KAZINFORM. German airline Lufthansa's pilots launched a four-day strike Monday, after talks on pay raise and job security failed over the weekend, which grounded about two- thirds of the company's flights, marking the biggest strike in Germany's aviation history; Kazinform refers to Xinhua.
More than 4,000 Deutsche Lufthansa pilots refused to work at midnight on Monday since no agreement were made after weekend negotiations between the airline and the pilots union, Vereinigung Cockpit. Nearly 90 percent of the company's pilots voted to strike.
At least 800 passenger and cargo flights were canceled on the first day of the strike, disrupting some 10,000 people's trip worldwide, Lufthansa officials said.
The company asked for a court injunction to halt the strike, estimating it would lose 25 million euros (34 million dollars) per day if pilots continue to walk off the job. A court in Frankfurt said that its ruling might be announced at Monday night.
"We don't believe (the court) will impose restrictions. We will present expert opinions that will back our claim the strike is justified," said a spokesman of the Cockpit.
Lufthansa pilots demanded a 6.4-percent pay raise, and a company's commitment that they will not be replaced as Lufthansa are hiring more and more cheap crews from affiliated airlines, such as Austrian Airlines or Lufthansa Italia; Kazinform cites Xinhua. See www.news.xinhuanet.com for full version.