Lufthansa pilots begin four-day strike

As many as four thousand pilots at German airline Lufthansa have begun a four-day strike in a dispute over job security.

Over the weekend the pilots’ union offered new negotiations but Lufthansa said it would not resume talks unless the union dropped demands for what the company saw as undue influence over managerial decisions.

The German flag carrier has been forced to cancel nearly all its passenger and cargo flights.
Lufthansa says the strike is likely to cost the company 25 million euro a day.

The pilots say they have opted for strike action over concerns the company could try to cut staff costs by shifting jobs to foreign subsidiaries such as Austrian Airlines or Lufthansa Italia where wages are lower.

Before the strike began Germany’s transport minister warned that it would hurt the country’s economy as well as Lufthansa’s reputation.

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