[Via... http://www.egroups.com/group/Communist-Internet ] . . ----- Original Message ----- From: Downwithcapitalism <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, May 17, 2001 7:09 AM Subject: [downwithcapitalism] FW: Lufthansa strike (con't.) Associated Press. 16 May 2001. Lufthansa passengers face massive disruption as pilots strike again. FRANKFURT Thousands of passengers who booked flights with German flag-carrier Lufthansa faced more delays and cancellations Thursday as pilots began their latest weekly strike in pursuit of more pay. Vereinigung Cockpit, the union which represents about 80 percent of Lufthansa's 4,200 pilots, announced the second 24-hour stoppage after failing Wednesday to reach an agreement in four days of negotiations with the airline. "No one can have more patience than we've had," union negotiator Michael Tarp said after pilots rejected an improved offer from Lufthansa Wednesday. Last Thursday's stoppage forced Lufthansa to scrub 900 of 1,100 scheduled flights and cost the company at least $23 million. The union kept a low profile then, as hundreds of frustrated passengers were waylaid at German air terminals. But this time, striking pilots plan to protest in full uniform at Frankfurt's international airport - continental Europe's busiest. Lufthansa said it hoped fewer flights would be canceled during the latest strike because it had found some pilots prepared to cross picket lines to run intercontinental and European flights. Passengers were advised to travel by train. The two sides scheduled no additional meeting after the latest breakdown, which saw Lufthansa shares drop as much as 3 percent Wednesday on the Frankfurt stock exchange. The airline, Germany's largest, said its latest offer amounted to a 30.3 percent raise in the first year of a four-year contract for the pilots, including performance-based pay. Further increases would be tied to those in other German industries. The pilots charged that Lufthansa's offer comes to a 5.5 percent annual increase over four years and accused the airline of intentionally causing the latest deadlock. The union has pledged to repeat the action every Thursday until an accord is reached and threatened to stage spot walkouts on other days if progress isn't made soon. The pilots' strike could spill over into other sectors, such as ground crews, warned Klaus Zwickel, boss of the IG Metall, the country's powerful metal and autoworkers' union. Lufthansa is the second largest passenger airline in Europe and behind only FedEx in cargo delivery. It operates flights to 340 destinations in 90 countries. SPAM TO FOLLOW Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
