Air France pilots strike, Lufthansa continues talks

Air France pilots will strike until Sept. 22, and pilots for Lufthansa say another work stoppage is imminent.    Air France pilots went on strike Monday as Lufthansa continues negotiations with its pilots union.
   Air France is operating 48 percent of its flights Monday and anticipates the same level of activity Tuesday due to a strike involving around 60 percent of its pilots.
   Pilots are expected to strike through Sept. 22 after a breakdown in negotiations between Air France and its unions.
   “Air France regrets this situation and will do everything possible to assist customers and minimize the possible impact of this strike action,” the airline said in a statement.
   A statement from Vereinigung Cockpit, a union covering Lufthansa pilots, called for a strike action at Frankfurt Airport on Sept. 16. The union said pilots would not fly long-haul routes between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. local time.
   The union added that it had no choice but to strike because of poor negotiations with Lufthansa management. The argument between pilots and Lufthansa revolves around retirement, and Lufthansa’s latest offer raises the average retirement age from 58 to 61 over the next seven years. The carrier proposes raising the early retirement age from 55 to 60.
   “From our perspective, the offer represents a good basis for negotiations with the Vereinigung Cockpit pilots’ union. We have also proposed talks on all the points that are still disputed. We hope that on this basis we can resume talks as quickly as possible and return to a constructive dialogue,” said Bettina Volkens, chief officer of human resources and legal for Deutsche Lufthansa AG.
   Lufthansa pilots last initiated strike actions on Sept. 5 and Sept. 10. The six-hour stoppage on Sept. 5 forced the cancellation of 218 flights, the carrier said.