It amazes me how bad Lufthansa management is at labor relations, despite the top brass at the company somehow priding themselves in being good at this. I just don’t get it.
Strikes shut down Lufthansa for five of seven days
Let’s not beat around the bush — Lufthansa has some labor relations issues, and things are getting rough:
So for those keeping track at home, the two strikes will mostly ground Lufthansa for four consecutive days, and for five days over a period of seven days. A vast majority of flights departing Germany are expected to be canceled. The issue revolves around how management and the unions can’t see eye-to-eye on pay, pensions, etc.
There’s no end in sight for either of these strikes, since the parties are a long ways off in terms of what they’re willing to settle for (or so they claim).
No disrespect to Lufthansa management, but it just feels like déjà vu at the airline, over and over and over. I understand contract negotiations can be contentious, but seriously, this has been such a consistent mess at the Star Alliance carrier. And it doesn’t have to be this way… just look at how Air France has changed on that front over the years, with good management.
What exactly has Lufthansa’s top management accomplished that makes them worthy of keeping their jobs and earning their performance bonuses? Is it the smashing success of Lufthansa Allegris, or…?
Lufthansa isn’t doing much flying this week!
Union blasts management for not negotiating
A bargaining expert for the flight attendant union claims that “we are dealing here with an employer who has adopted a hardline position while constantly proclaiming their readiness to negotiate at any time,” which seems pretty spot on.
Lufthansa will soon have its official 100th anniversary celebration, and German Chancellor Merz will be in attendance. Lufthansa employees intend to protest the event, with a union representative stating that “when management celebrates Lufthansa’s 100th anniversary together with federal politicians, we will make it clear there under what conditions the employers operate – and on whose backs current decisions are being made.”
Lufthansa’s management has claimed that the requests of employees are “absurd and impossible to fulfill,” and that when it comes to the costs of the strikes, “every strike shrinks the affected airline.”
Keep in mind that Lufthansa is the lowest margin airline in Lufthansa Group, and the company has even told employees that it’s so unprofitable that it can’t afford new planes. Yet Lufthansa Group is increasingly centralizing management functions in Frankfurt, because apparently it’ll work out best if the higher margin airlines are more closely controlled by the lower margin airline.
This situation is just getting embarrassing
Bottom line
It’s not a good week for Lufthansa, as we’re seeing four days of consecutive strikes, split between pilots and flight attendants. As if there’s not enough going on in the world, Lufthansa really can’t seem to keep its labor relations under control, and that’s a shame to see.
Hopefully these issues are resolved soon, as everyone loses out when these kinds of problems drag on.
What do you make of Lufthansa’s labor relations disaster?
