Good news for air passengers from India! German airline Lufthansa`s pilot strike CANCELLED

The strike by German airline Lufthansa`s pilot had severely affected the organisation`s flights around the world and if conducted would have been the second strike by the airline`s pilot.

The cancellation of a two-day strike by the union that represents Lufthansa's pilots came following a last-minute settlement with Germany's largest airline over a salary issue. In order to pressure the company into making a "serious" offer in negotiations over pay increases, the Vereinigung Cockpit union had previously announced plans for a walkout on Wednesday and Thursday. It would have been the second strike in a week, following the walkout by pilots on Friday that resulted in the cancellation of hundreds of flights. The union reported that the two parties reached a substantial package of monetary and structural issues in hastily held negotiations on Tuesday, with the details to be worked out in the coming days. 

The union then called off the strike. Before the talks, Lufthansa had said that it would have to decide by noon which flights to cancel in the coming days, and a strike would have 'massive consequences' for its flight plan.

It wasn't immediately clear what the agreement entails. Vereinigung Cockpit has called for a 5.5 per cent raise for its members this year and an inflation-busting 8.2 per cent increase in 2023. Pilots also have sought a new pay and holiday structure. The airline has said those measures would increase its staffing costs by about 40 per cent, or around 900 million euros over two years.

Instead, it was offering a one-off increase of 900 euros (dollars), amounting to a 5 per cent increase for senior pilots and an 18 per cent increase for those starting the profession. Strong unions have traditionally ensured good conditions for workers in Germany, using strikes to press their demands in labour disputes.