Lufthansa Pilots Ballot on Strike Action

It now seems that the German pilots union Vereinigung Cockpit is balloting its Lufthansa members on strike action. According to reports Vereinigung Cockpit has sent the ballot to 4,500 pilots employed by Lufthansa, Lufthansa Cargo and Germanwings. The voting closes as of February 17^th.

Lufthansa went on to say that the whole thing was incomprehensible. One spokesman for the company said that the decision of the union to launch a strike ballot is sending the wrong signal at the wrong time. To put things into context, Lufthansa pilots have extremely good conditions of employment, and in comparison with other professional crews, a high degree of job security.

The spokesperson went on to say that, from their perceptive, it is incomprehensible. This goes double now with the economic climate being so challenging. He also said that the ballot is being done at the wrong time since Lufthansa has no plans to impose compulsory redundancies. It should be up to the pilots in the company to set an example for others in the group.

Lufthansa has appealed the Vereinigung Cockpit to return to the negotiation table and resume talks. As said by the company, Lufthansa has no plans to impose compulsory redundancies. The reduction in staff numbers will be achieved through natural wastage, meaning people will take unpaid leaves, and when a person leaves a position, it is not filled again.

Considering all of the other airlines that are cutting members of the staff, it seems like this strike action may be uncalled for. Other staff members in other airlines are fighting for their jobs, but these pilots apparently have nothing to worry about, as far as redundancies go. Thus, the airline could be right in saying that this is a strike action that comes at the wrong time.