Lufthansa str*ke again on May 17
 

Same procedure as last week...

DLH pilots (LH,LCAG,CFG,CIB) will go on str*ke again at all German stations on May 17 from 0000lt till 2400lt.

We lowered our demands and they upped the offer - but barely.

This whole thing has become very political from the big German unions´ point of view.
They seem to be putting quite some pressure on DLH, NOT to give us more.

Who knows what´s in store for the days after May 17??

I would say : Let`s go for it !!!

Keep fighting.

Best of luck
Exeng

All went well so far.

Str*ke-front is not deteriorating, contrary to DLH-propaganda.
Nice turnout at the main gate this morning and good showing in the pax-terminal.

Tension on base was rather high, as ver.di instigated a demo by mechanics and kitchenstaff (NO FAs!), who were ordered by management/their union(!) to stage it during their working time...
Boohing and whistling in the terminal, which just seemed pathetic to all including most pax.

Security kicked out all people in pilots´ uniform that were on base and on str*ke.

Str*ke might continue on Friday May 18 - not decided yet.

Good luck with the fight.

I noticed a 321 at Heathrow yesterday. Is this flown by management or strike breakers? I expect they'll take the money when it eventually is agreed.
The strike must already have cost more than to pay the original demand in the first place.

A "backlash from ground staff", according to the BBC:

"German pilots staging their second 24-hour walkout have been met with protests from colleagues angered by their pay demands.
About 500 ground staff demonstrated in Frankfurt airport at the Lufthansa pilots' strike, which they say puts their own positions at risk.

They shouted over the pilots' attempt to read a statement of their demands, which include a 24% pay increase.

"These exaggerated wage demands are endangering our jobs," said Hans-Josef Weilbecher, head of the workers' council for the technical, ground crew and mechanics staff.

A Lufthansa spokesman said that, by midday, about 500 flights had already been cancelled. The airline hoped to run 200 of its planned 1,100 flights.

People booked on domestic flights have been asked to take the train, where their tickets are being accepted. Newspaper adverts displaying an emergency timetable have forewarned travellers and prevented the situation in airports becoming chaotic.

While Lufthansa claimed more pilots from the Vereinigung Cockpit trade union had turned up for work than during last week's strike, the union claimed that the strike was holding, and that the number of members taking action had increased.

Last week's strike cost the company DM 50m ($22.5m).

The pilots say they will continue staging 24-hour stoppages every Thursday until their demands are met. Talks between management and the union broke down on Wednesday, despite Lufthansa reportedly making an improved pay offer. However, the pilots said on Wednesday that they were confident they would soon be able to end their strike action.

The German Trade Union Federation (DGB) has criticised their action complaining that they are trying to cut themselves the biggest possible slice of the cake.

Margret Moenig-Raane from the service industry union ver.di told the Berliner Zeitung newspaper the pilots were exploiting their central role in the running of the company for their own interests.

Pilots say they are just trying to bring their salaries in line with those of pilots at other companies."

I was rather pleased to experience that most individuals in the ground staff strike whom I talked to were rather open-minded to our arguments that we do not try to take most of the profits and leave the rest of the staff to pick up the remains. An aspect unnoticed by most is that one of the negociators of the side of ver.di union (ground staff) now all of a sudden holds a post in the board of LSG Lufthansa Catering. This frequently happens at Lufthansa and they are quite successful in covering up the treason.
Now that VC tries to let the truth come out ground staff realize they get shafted by LH management and their own union, not by the pilots. Still, it will propably take a lot of effort to reestablish good relations between all sides concerned.

No good offer by Monday and VC will immediatly put the hammer down on Tuesday or Wednesday already and not wait till Thursday.

We´re just short of 2*%.
Main problem is the duration of the contract.
4 years (as offered by DLH) is out of the question, because it wouldn´t give us a chance to "react" to changes in the market, during that time.

People are "up to it" and were amazingly disciplined yesterday.
The "agitators" that ver.di and LH put in front of the TV cameras didn´t faze our guys and gals the least.

Most have personally "bonded" in/since LH-flight school and gone through good and bad times in the DLH-system.
This is showing to be of great advantage to us now.

[This message has been edited by wonderbusdriver (edited 18 May 2001).]

Wonderbusdriver...

I was in FRA two days ago and witnessed the other LH employees being unsympathetic to your cause. Very disturbing indeed and no doubt a management ploy.

I was walking through the terminal and a LH Service representative came over to help me. I started to engage him into the strike issue. He was professional but didn't understand all that you are trying to achieve.

I asked him about this very scenario....what if he was making 10,000 DM per month for his job. That is a lot of money. He agreed. Then I said, "Now, assume that someone at British, Air France, SAS, Iberia who did the EXACT SAME JOB as you, made 15,000 per month. Wouldn't you want to increase your pay to those of your peers who do the same work for more money than you???

I don't know if he saw the light on this one, but I did try.

My hat is off to you LH pilots and as an American Airlines Pilot, I was very proud to see all you "Lufties" as I hear you are called, walking the picket line for your cause.

Stay the course!!

Capt737

Thank you, Cpt737AA!

And your tip "Confessions of a Union Buster" helped us!

Greetings from FRA

Charly