Berlin: A leading German pilots' union has called a new walkout at Lufthansa starting from Monday in an ongoing dispute over retirement benefits. The strike will target some passenger flights across Germany from Monday, until just before midnight on Tuesday, the Vereinigung Cockpit union said in a statement.
Travellers in Germany have faced repeated strikes by pilots of airlines within the Lufthansa group recently, as well as a train drivers' walkout over the weekend. "The Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) announces the start of further strikes for Monday, October 20," the statement said. "Regrettably Lufthansa has not acted on the compromise proposals of VC after seven strikes now since April this year and is stonewalling," it added. The union said it regretted the disruptions for passengers and called on Lufthansa to give up its "blockade attitude".
The stoppage will affect flights across Germany on Airbus 320 aircraft as well as Boeing 737 and Embraer planes, it added. Lufthansa pilots can currently take paid early retirement from the age of 55. They are fighting a plan by the airline to raise the minimum age and to involve pilots in the financing of their pensions. Last week, pilots held a 12-hour strike at Germanwings, the low-cost airline belonging to Lufthansa.
Rail travellers also faced a weekend of disruptions, cancellations and delays after the train drivers' union on Friday called their biggest strike since 2008. The GDL union is demanding a five-percent wage hike and a shorter working week of 37 hours.
