Strike action to impact Lufthansa's summer season
28 Jul 2008
Ground and cabin staff of Europe's largest airline in terms of passengers carried, Lufthansa, have apparently voted to go on indefinite strike from Sunday evening. The staff are represented by the union ver.di.
"Our members are ready for a strike in all areas of the company. From Monday we will be taking industrial action," union chief Erhard Ott said.
The strike action will not be roll out simultaneously throughout Germany, but will affect airports in stages - initially affecting operations, such as maintenance and catering.
There is some uncertainty over the number of employees that will likely go on strike as Lufthansa officials believe that only a small portion actually took part. They feel that most did not vote in favor of the strike.
The union did not disclose the number of employees that voted for the action, merely stating that 91% of those who did were in favour.
The carrier has geared itself to meet disruptions and sources said that the carrier will likely cope with 75% of its schedule through the use of third-party companies. Austrian Airlines has said it will assist Lufthansa in particular areas.
The strike action is poised to impact the carrier severely at the height of the summer travel season.