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Massive Friday strike

September 5, 2012

The German airline Lufthansa says it will cancel two-thirds of its flights on Friday after the union for cabin crew called for a 24-hour strike. The airline says no peace offer will be made over the ongoing pay dispute.

https://p.dw.com/p/1647I
Picture of Lufthansa planes.
Image: picture alliance / dpa

The Independent Flight Attendants' Organization (UFO) called the action on Wednesday, one day after its members staged eight-hour walkouts at three key German airports.

An airline spokesman says that 600 of Friday's 1,800 scheduled Lufthansa flights would be conducted by "partner airlines" not affected by the strike. The airline has asked for German railways to fill in for it on domestic routes.

The spokesman said the airline would soon publish a skeleton timetable for Friday.

The airline cancelled 306 flights on Tuesday amid cabin crew walkouts at three major airports: Berlin Tegel, Munich and Frankfurt.

Nearly 200 flights were axed at Frankfurt last Friday after a localized walkout.

The long-running dispute with cabin crew is over pay. Workers are seeking assurances temporary staff won't be employed, as well as a five per cent wage increase backdated to January. Lufthansa has offered 3.5 per cent.

Lufthansa's spokesman said no new offer to UFO was planned, and that with the airline's offer already on the table, it was up to the union to come back to negotiations.

jr/slk (AFP, AP, dpa)