BERLIN
Lufthansa pilots have announced they will not fly any cargo for two days amid an ongoing dispute with management over pensions.
The Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) union said Tuesday its members will not pilot cargo flights from airports throughout Germany between October 8 at 0100 GMT and October 9, 2030 GMT.
The union, which represents 5,400 pilots at Lufthansa, said the walkout was aimed at reaching a new labor agreement on transitional pension payments.
"Due to the Lufthansa management’s insistence for months on its position, and with maximum demand from the pilots, Vereinigung Cockpit has decided to take new measures," the union said.
Lufthansa has criticized the strike and announced it is making alternative plans to operate most of the cargo flights.
Months of conflict
The company confirmed that at least 21 cargo flights will be affected by the strike and half of the freight will be carried by passenger aircraft belonging to Lufthansa and its partners.
Expressing regret for any inconvenience to customers, the union said it was open to an agreement to end the strikes and asked for a constructive approach to negotiations from the management.
Vereinigung Cockpit has been in conflict with Lufthansa for months due to a major disagreement over plans to change the current pension scheme, which presently allows pilots to retire at the age of 59 -- six years earlier than the official retirement age.
According to the union, Lufthansa wishes to change this to two years before the official retirement age.
The union staged five strikes this year at Frankfurt and Munich airports, leading to the cancellation of hundreds of flights.
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