Lufthansa’s cabin crew union says its arbitration talks with the airline failed on Sunday, and that strike action could resume at any point once the Christmas break is over.
The Independent Flight Attendant Association, best known by its German initials UFO, represents a large share of Lufthansa’s 22,000 cabin crew. It ruled out walkouts on December 24, 25 and 26 so passengers traveling over the holiday would not be stranded.
Nicoley Baublies, the union’s spokesperson, delivered the news in a video statement on Sunday evening. “Even though we have agreed not to disclose the contents of these talks, unfortunately, we must state that there was no solution … so we failed,” he said.
“Industrial action must be expected again any time from now,” Baublies added. The one thing the union could promise its passengers, he said, was that it would leave the Christmas holidays alone, specifically December 24, 25 and 26. He did not rule out calling members out as soon as Monday.
The dispute had been building for a week. Union officials flagged the risk of a walkout after Lufthansa attached pre-conditions to the arbitration talks scheduled for the weekend. The UFO refused those conditions but still sent negotiators, hoping for a breakthrough.
Both sides agreed not to discuss the talks themselves. They will meet again with independent mediators in January. Lufthansa said it “continues to expect that good solutions can be found for the 22,000 cabin crew members with regard to the arbitration issues”.
In November, cabin crew at Lufthansa walked out for 48 hours, a stoppage that grounded 1,300 flights and hit more than 180,000 passengers before the airline returned to the negotiating table.
Sources
- Lufthansa Cabin Crew Threaten Strikes After Talks Fail – But Christmas is Safe for Passengers
- Lufthansa arbitration with labor union falls apart
