Members of the German pilots’ union Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) voted overwhelmingly in favor of industrial action on Sunday, paving the way for a strike at Lufthansa.
The vote comes days after the airline’s ground staff went on strike, which resulted in the cancellation of over 1,000 flights.
The vote does not necessarily mean a strike, but it is a signal to the employer that constructive steps must be taken, said Marcel Groels, board member of the Cockpit Association.
“We now need a modern and fair, internationally competitive remuneration structure in all professional groups,” said Groels.
The union said 97.6% of the pilots who took part in the vote opted for industrial action. The move threatens further disruption during the peak summer travel season.
What is the pilots union asking for?
VC is demanding a 5.5 percent pay rise for its pilots this year and automatic inflation compensation. The union also wants uniform salary structures for all employees of the airlines in the Lufthansa Group, which also include flagship Lufthansa and low-cost airline Eurowings.
Last week’s ground staff strike affected around 134,000 passengers and impacted other airlines that depended on Lufthansa ground staff to support their flights.
A Lufthansa spokesman told the Portal news agency that the result of the vote was respected and that a constructive solution was hoped to be found at the negotiating table.
kb/sri (Portal, AFP, dpa)