After the pilots' strike at Eurowings with hundreds of flight cancellations, the collective bargaining partners want to return to the negotiating table. The pilots' union Vereinigung Cockpit and the Lufthansa subsidiary announced on Wednesday that the talks would be resumed. A three-day strike began on Monday, as a result of which around 800 flights were canceled. The announcement said that scheduled operations would resume on Thursday. "This is good news, especially for all Eurowings customers."
The VC wants to enforce relief for the pilots. Because the offer made by the employer was not enough for her, the union had called for a strike: First for one day on October 6th and from this Monday in a second wave for three consecutive days. Tens of thousands of travelers had to reschedule. The ground staff and pilots at the Lufthansa core company had previously gone on strike for a day.
Union: Pilots at workload "at the limit"
According to the union, the 800 Eurowings pilots are "at the limit" in terms of workload. Relief is therefore urgently needed. Among other things, the VC calls for the maximum weekly working time to be reduced by five to 50. Eurowings offered three hours. VC wanted 14 additional days off, while Eurowings offered ten. When it came to extending rest periods and reducing maximum flight duty times, the parties to the collective bargaining agreement were also unable to find a common denominator.
In the industrial action, Eurowings tried to fill the gaps caused by the strike with personnel and aircraft from partner companies. In the end, however, that was getting worse and worse: At the beginning of the week, about every second flight from Eurowings Germany was canceled. On Wednesday, the proportion was two-thirds.
According to management, the strike cost the company tens of millions every day. That also threatens jobs, CFO Kai Duve warned. It is incomprehensible that the union is causing frustration among travelers and financial ballast now that the economy is back on the upswing after a difficult summer. Duve criticized that the union had lost "measure and middle". In an open letter, the company's top management called on the union to call off the strike and return to the negotiating table.
When the union did not react, the management announced on Tuesday that the growth plans for the coming year would be stopped: fewer machines than previously planned would be available. There will be no new hires or captain promotions for the time being. The union shook its head at this. That was inappropriate "escalation rhetoric," said VC spokesman Matthias Baier. Growth was never part of the negotiations.
With the joint announcement to resume negotiations, the signs now point to relaxation. A trial date was not initially known. After the public expressions of dissatisfaction, the collective bargaining partners probably want to speak with cooler heads behind closed doors. The statement said: "Both parties have agreed not to disclose the content of the further talks."
And the decision to slim down the growth plans: Was that a means of exerting pressure that is now not being implemented after all? In response to this question, a Eurowings spokesman said the management had made the decision and it stood.
