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Lufthansa pilots begin strike
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February 22, 2010
Original URL: http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Lufthansa_pilots_begin_strike



The pilot's union of German airline Lufthansa have begun a four-day
strike over pay and job security. Operations at subsidiary airlines
Lufthansa Cargo and Germanwings are also affected by the strike.

The strike began at midnight on Monday (18:00 Sunday EST) after
negotiations between the airline and union, Vereinigung Cockpit, over
the weekend failed to resolve the threat. According to the union, the
strike was over reduced flying time for the pilots, triggered by
Lufthansa's recent acquisition of several smaller airlines, which the
union says is causing traffic to be diverted from union-operated routes.
Additionally, the union was seeking a pay increase of 6.4% and
guarantees that German labor conditions would apply to Lufthansa crews
from abroad, which would reduce the incentive for outsourcing to foreign
crews. In a statement issued by Lufthansa, however, the airline said
that the union also demanded a greater say in the operation of the
airline, which Lufthansa was unwilling to agree to.

The strike is expected to impact travelers on other airlines, as
Lufthansa is a major player in the Star Alliance, and code-share
operations with other airlines operated by Lufthansa would be affected
by the strike. The strike involves more than 4,000 pilots, most of whom
have been working without a contract for nearly a year. According to a
union spokesman, upwards of 90% of the union's members voted to strike.
The strike is expected to cost Lufthansa around US$33-34 million (about
€24-25 million) a day, not counting the impact at other airlines.

== Sources ==
* http://www.cnn.com/2010/BUSINESS/02/21/lufthansa.strike/index.html?hpt=T1
* http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/02/21/business/AP-EU-Germany-Lufthansa-Strike.html?hp