German flag carrier Lufthansa is to open formal contract talks with its main cabin crew union in the New Year after the first two pay offers from the airline were immediately rejected by union officials.
The Independent Flight Attendant Organization or UFO told its members on Thursday that it had accepted a third offer from which to start negotiations but warned that the two sides remain “very far apart” on a number of key issues.
Initial talks have been scheduled for the start of 2024, with the union committing to take part in at least five days of negotiations in January. But officials cautioned: “We will only negotiate for as long as we think is right.”
“If we have the feeling that we and you are not being taken seriously, then we will not hesitate to take a collective bargaining dispute to the gates of Lufthansa if necessary”.
“If the negotiations do not promise success, come to a standstill or Lufthansa’s willingness to find a solution proves to be a “smokescreen”, we will draw the necessary consequences”.
Lufthansa was hit by a series of strikes last year after failing to reach agreements with its pilots and ground staff. Cabin crew at the airline have, however, not gone on strike since late 2019 following stalled contract talks.
There is a sense now, though, that the UFO is hoping to achieve big pay rises for its members, especially in light of Europe’s ongoing cost-of-living crisis and Lufthansa’s stellar post-pandemic financial performance.
The UFO said that after accepting pay cuts during the pandemic, the union was “now once again in a position to assert our demands”.
“We appeal to Lufthansa in particular, to take the collective pay round very seriously and not to prioritise negotiating tactics over the will to find a solution.”
