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Lufthansa has been in protracted talks with various staff groups
as it seeks to bring down costs and revise pension schemes to
better compete with low-cost airlines and expanding Middle
Eastern rivals.
The UFO flight attendants' union said on Monday its members
would strike on July 1 if an agreement was not reached with
Lufthansa by then. Further one-day strikes would follow that
could last to Sept. 16, disrupting travel over the lucrative
peak summer season, the union added.
"Everyone ... will have the chance to opt for modes of transport
other than Lufthansa on the days for which we are to announce
strikes," UFO head Nicoley Baublies told a news conference.
UFO, which represents 19,000 cabin crew at Lufthansa, said on
Saturday it would not resume talks with the company after
mediation failed.
The airline said it remained ready to talk.
"We call on UFO to use its self-imposed June 30 deadline for a
constructive way forward and to actually engage with us in the
proposed discussions. Our joint goal must be to avoid strikes
under all circumstances," a spokesman said in a written
statement.
Lufthansa has already been hit by over a dozen walk-outs over
the last year by its pilots, who are also in talks over pension
benefits and pay and are now also in a mediation process, ruling
out strikes until the end of July.
The carrier's stock pared gains to trade up 1.1 percent at 7.40
a.m. EDT, while Germany's blue chip DAX index was up 2.8
percent.
Strikes by pilots will cost Lufthansa 100 million euros ($111
million) in lost profit and bookings in the first half of 2015,
the company said last month.
(Writing by Ludwig Burger; Editing by Thomas Atkins and Keith
Weir)
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