The union Ufo has called in the dispute over collective bargaining for Sunday the 20. October to a warning strike of the flight attendants at the Lufthansa hubs Frankfurt and Munich. Workers were scheduled to quit work between 6:00 am and 11:00 am, Deputy Ufo Chairman Daniel Flohr announced on Monday via a video message on Youtube.
According to Flohr, further strike calls are possible at any time against all five airlines of the Lufthansa Group. In the coming week, the employee representatives for the flight attendants wanted to discuss with their tariff commissions about ballots on perpetual strikes. Lufthansa could still avert the industrial action if it returned to the negotiating table.
Flohr accuses the company of leading a power struggle against the trade unions. Lufthansa and UFO have been arguing in court for some time about whether the current UFO board is legally entitled to conclude collective agreements. Lufthansa argues that the executive board did not come into office according to the statutes and therefore does not accept the termination of collective agreements.
Lufthansa wants to maintain flight program
Lufthansa wants to maintain the flight program on Sunday despite the planned strike. How the organization is organized, the airline did not want to comment on that so far. "Strikes of the UFO at Lufthansa are unlawful," said the company. It is unclear whether UFO is a union and empowered to represent employees in the cabin. Lufthansa will therefore examine legal action against what they call a wildcat strike.
Ufo demands a wage increase of 1.8 percent. Flohr further stated that if Lufthansa considers the strikes illegal, it will have to prove it in court. Ufo struggles with internal leadership disputes. In addition, the service union Verdi has offered to represent the interests of cabin employees.
