The four-day strike is scheduled to start on Tuesday, trade unions representing pilots and cabin crew said. Founded in 2021, the airline operates 27 aircraft from Munich and Frankfurt to a range of holiday destinations.
Pilots and cabin crew at the Lufthansa Group's holiday subsidiary Discover Airlines are set to go on strike, trade unions announced on Sunday.
The four-day strike at the airline, which was founded in 2021, will get underway on Tuesday, August 27, union officials said in Frankfurt.
With all departures from Germany affected, the strike is set to cause severe disruptions to many people's travel plans in the latter part of the summer holiday season.
Holiday plans are set to be severely disrupted by the four-day strikeImage: Helmut Fricke/dpa/picture alliance
Discover Airlines staff recently voted overwhelmingly in favor of a strike after a conflict between unions representing airline workers.
Unions at loggerheads
The decision to strike is due to a conflict following negotiations with the Verdi union, which has sealed the first collective agreements for pilots and flight attendants of Discover.
But two other unions, Cockpit, which represents pilots, and UFO, which represents cabin crew, work closely together to bypass existing pay agreements struck between Lufthansa and Verdi, which they see as a competitor.
Cockpit and UFO argue that Verdi lacks sufficient membership within the airline's operations and was established as a bargaining partner by Lufthansa.
On Discover Airlines' website, there is a message for those who have already booked, or about to book, a flight.
"Trade unions Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) and Unabhängige Flugbegleiter Organisation (UFO) have called for a strike at Discover Airlines between August 27, 2024, and August 30, 2024. Please check your current flight status regularly and enter your contact details," the message reads.
Discover Airlines staff recently voted overwhelmingly in favor of a strike after a conflict between unions representing airline workers.
Unions at loggerheads
The decision to strike is due to a conflict following negotiations with the Verdi union, which has sealed the first collective agreements for pilots and flight attendants of Discover.
But two other unions, Cockpit, which represents pilots, and UFO, which represents cabin crew, work closely together to bypass existing pay agreements struck between Lufthansa and Verdi, which they see as a competitor.
Cockpit and UFO argue that Verdi lacks sufficient membership within the airline's operations and was established as a bargaining partner by Lufthansa.
On Discover Airlines' website, there is a message for those who have already booked, or about to book, a flight.
"Trade unions Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) and Unabhängige Flugbegleiter Organisation (UFO) have called for a strike at Discover Airlines between August 27, 2024, and August 30, 2024. Please check your current flight status regularly and enter your contact details," the message reads.
Lufthansa's financial losses
Operating out of Frankfurt and Munich, Discover operates a fleet of 27 aircraft and its staff totals almost 2,000.
“Impacts on Discover Airlines flights will unfortunately be unavoidable in this context. We sincerely regret this circumstance,” said UFO boss Joachim Vazquez Bürger. “We never take this path lightly, but as a last conceivable step, without exception.”
At the end of April, Germany's flagship airline Lufthansa released its financial data for the first quarter of the year, which showed increased losses that it attributed in large part to strikes.
Discover Airlines pilots and flight attendants vote for four-day strike
By Pilar Wolfsteller
By Pilar Wolfsteller
26 August 2024
Pilots and flight attendants at Lufthansa Group carrier Discover Airlines have voted to go on a four-day strike later this week to pressure the carrier to negotiate new contracts.
“From August 27th at 00:01 o’clock until August 30th at 23:59 o’clock all flights from Germany will be on strike,” pilot union Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) said on 25 August. “The aim of the industrial action is to conclude a collective remuneration agreement and a general collective agreement for the cockpit personnel stationed in Germany at EW Discover GmbH.”
Source: Lufthansa
Pilots and cabin crew vote for a four-day strike to begin later this week
Last week, 90% of VC union members participated in a vote to conduct a strike. Of those 81% voted in favour.
At the flight attendant union Unabhangiger Flugbegleiter Organisation (UFO), almost 92% voted for the strike.
“We didn’t expect this and we would have preferred nothing more than to avoid it,” UFO says.
The two unions have also said that they will coordinate their actions.
The move comes two weeks after Discover’s management agreed on new collective labour agreements for cockpit and cabin crew with trade union Verdi that were slated to run through the end of 2027.
But VC and UFO say that contract is insufficient.
“The Verdi [contract] leaves many points unregulated to the advantage of the employer,” says VC’s head of public relations Frank Blanken. “At the same time, the design of the differentiation clauses appears to be questionable and on shaky legal ground. It shows the employer’s helpless naivete if they believe that pilots can be duped so easily.”
Discover Airlines was previously known as Eurowings Discover, before Lufthansa Group rebranded the leisure unit last September. Eurowings Discover began operating flights for Lufthansa under its own AOC in the summer of 2021, initially focusing on leisure routes of Frankfurt. It currently has about 2,000 employees and operates 27 Airbus aircraft on short, medium, and long-haul routes to popular tourist destinations.
The airline plans to expand to 33 aircraft by the end of 2027.
In a note on its website, the carrier says it is “working to minimise the impact” of the strikes and advises travellers to regularly check on flight status.
Pilots and flight attendants at Lufthansa Group carrier Discover Airlines have voted to go on a four-day strike later this week to pressure the carrier to negotiate new contracts.
“From August 27th at 00:01 o’clock until August 30th at 23:59 o’clock all flights from Germany will be on strike,” pilot union Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) said on 25 August. “The aim of the industrial action is to conclude a collective remuneration agreement and a general collective agreement for the cockpit personnel stationed in Germany at EW Discover GmbH.”
Source: Lufthansa
Pilots and cabin crew vote for a four-day strike to begin later this week
Last week, 90% of VC union members participated in a vote to conduct a strike. Of those 81% voted in favour.
At the flight attendant union Unabhangiger Flugbegleiter Organisation (UFO), almost 92% voted for the strike.
“We didn’t expect this and we would have preferred nothing more than to avoid it,” UFO says.
The two unions have also said that they will coordinate their actions.
The move comes two weeks after Discover’s management agreed on new collective labour agreements for cockpit and cabin crew with trade union Verdi that were slated to run through the end of 2027.
But VC and UFO say that contract is insufficient.
“The Verdi [contract] leaves many points unregulated to the advantage of the employer,” says VC’s head of public relations Frank Blanken. “At the same time, the design of the differentiation clauses appears to be questionable and on shaky legal ground. It shows the employer’s helpless naivete if they believe that pilots can be duped so easily.”
Discover Airlines was previously known as Eurowings Discover, before Lufthansa Group rebranded the leisure unit last September. Eurowings Discover began operating flights for Lufthansa under its own AOC in the summer of 2021, initially focusing on leisure routes of Frankfurt. It currently has about 2,000 employees and operates 27 Airbus aircraft on short, medium, and long-haul routes to popular tourist destinations.
The airline plans to expand to 33 aircraft by the end of 2027.
In a note on its website, the carrier says it is “working to minimise the impact” of the strikes and advises travellers to regularly check on flight status.
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