Lufthansa pilots are preparing to strike after negotiations over a pay dispute came to a standstill this week, according to pilots’ union, Vereinigung Cockpit.
The union, which represents 9,600 members, said "legal and organisational preparations for strike action" have begun after Lufthansa sent an “insufficient” pay offer on Thursday morning.
“Despite intensive talks between our collective bargaining committee and the employer, no conclusion could be reached about a promising continuation of the negotiations,” said Vereinigung Cockpit spokesperson, Matthias Baier.
"In addition to compensating for the loss in real wages, what we now need above all is a future-proof solution for the remuneration structure in all professional groups,” he added.
At the end of July, the union announced that 97.6 per cent of its members working for Lufthansa had voted for industrial action.
The move is a blow for the German carrier, which recently settled a dispute with ground handlers after a strike forced the cancellation of hundreds of flights at its Munich and Frankfurt hubs last month. During a Q2 earnings call earlier this month, Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr had expressed optimism over “constructive dialogue” between the carrier and the pilots’ union.