The employees of the Lufthansa subsidiary Eurowings have been struggling with high levels of stress for a long time. A day-long strike is expected to start on Thursday. Air traffic is also severely affected.
The all-day strike planned for this Thursday by the Vereinigung Cockpit pilots’ union (VC) is expected to paralyze every second flight at Eurowings Germany. However, the Lufthansa subsidiary will do everything possible to minimize the impact of the strike measures on passengers, the airline said. Only flights from Eurowings Germany are affected by the call for strikes, not those from Eurowings Europe.
The airline assumes that it will be able to “perform around half of the normal flight program”. The airline can also fall back on partners in the Lufthansa Group. Passengers were asked to keep themselves informed about the status of their flight on the website www.eurowings.com or via the Eurowings customer app. Travelers whose flight is canceled due to the strike should be informed about alternative transport options by Wednesday afternoon at the latest, the statement said.
The pilots’ union Vereinigung Cockpit had announced that the negotiations on the collective bargaining agreement at the Lufthansa subsidiary had failed. Eurowings criticized the announced strike as disproportionate and irresponsible.
The VC is concerned with the conflict about better working conditions. A central requirement is the relief of employees, for example by reducing the maximum flight duty times and increasing rest times. Eurowings personnel manager Kai Duve called the demands “in times when millions of people fear a cold winter and the next heating bill” excessive and dangerous for the future of flight operations and jobs.