Lufthansa faces the prospect of pilot walkout after the Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) union began a strike ballot on Friday, a spokeswoman confirmed, reported dpa.
Around 4,800 pilots at Lufthansa's mainline operations and its cargo arm can vote until September 30 on whether to authorize industrial action.
To approve a strike, at least 70% of eligible members must back it; abstentions and non-votes count as "no" votes.
No industrial action is planned while the ballot is under way, and it remains unclear whether the union will immediately set a strike date once votes are counted.
VC has often given management a final chance to improve its offer before calling a walkout. Lufthansa has not commented on the details but says it continues to seek a negotiated solution.
At issue are the company pension and related entitlements. The union is demanding a substantial increase in the airline's contributions to pilots’ pension funds — more than a threefold rise, according to an example calculation published by aviation portal aero.de.
- Lufthansa
- Pilots
- Strike ballot
- Pension demands
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
