BERLIN– Germany’s Lufthansa pilots have voted in favor of a possible strike, a union said on Sunday, saying walkouts could still be avoided but calling the outcome a “clear signal” for the company in a pay dispute.
The Vereinigung Cockpit union is demanding a 5.5% wage increase this year and an automatic inflation adjustment from next year. He argued that Lufthansa had yet to make a negotiable offer in six rounds of talks.
The union said 97.6% of pilots who took part in a ballot approved its appeal. He said in a statement that the vote “does not yet necessarily lead to strike action, but it is an unmistakable signal for Lufthansa to take the needs of cockpit personnel seriously.”
The dispute comes on top of a separate altercation with a union representing Lufthansa ground staff in Germany. A one-day strike on Wednesday amid the stalemate resulted in the cancellation of more than 1,000 flights.
ABC News