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Lufthansa to cut 2% of work force
Frankfurt, Oct 10: German airline Lufthansa said on Thursday it had plans to cut 2,000 jobs over the next few years, more than two per cent of its workforce, but there would be no forced redundancies.
Frankfurt, Oct 10: German airline Lufthansa said on Thursday it had plans to cut 2,000 jobs over the next few years, more than two per cent of its workforce, but there would be no forced redundancies.
Lufthansa had said all year it was not planning forced redundancies because they did not fit into its company culture. It has also said it does not expect to make an operating profit this year.
The airline still has dozens of planes grounded as it struggles to return to profit in a year that has been tough for all airlines, who have been shaken by a weak economy, the war in Iraq and the deadly SARS virus.
"The goal is still to avoid forced redundancies said a spokesman for the company. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported that Lufthansa works council head Manfred Calsow had told the company's in-house magazine that there were plans for the job cuts.
"Yes, that's correct what Mr Calsow said," the spokesman said. The airline employs nearly 95,000 people worldwide.
He said there was no precise time frame for the job cuts, although they were expected to take "a number of years." The newspaper report of Calsow's comments said he told the Lufthanseat magazine that the planned cuts included 1,000 jobs at its LSG catering division, 500 to 600 jobs among ground staff, 200 jobs in buildings management and 100 jobs at Lufthansa Cargo.
Shares in Lufthansa closed before news of the job cuts, up 3.7 per cent at 12.01 euros. Bureau Report
The airline still has dozens of planes grounded as it struggles to return to profit in a year that has been tough for all airlines, who have been shaken by a weak economy, the war in Iraq and the deadly SARS virus.
"The goal is still to avoid forced redundancies said a spokesman for the company. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported that Lufthansa works council head Manfred Calsow had told the company's in-house magazine that there were plans for the job cuts.
"Yes, that's correct what Mr Calsow said," the spokesman said. The airline employs nearly 95,000 people worldwide.
He said there was no precise time frame for the job cuts, although they were expected to take "a number of years." The newspaper report of Calsow's comments said he told the Lufthanseat magazine that the planned cuts included 1,000 jobs at its LSG catering division, 500 to 600 jobs among ground staff, 200 jobs in buildings management and 100 jobs at Lufthansa Cargo.
Shares in Lufthansa closed before news of the job cuts, up 3.7 per cent at 12.01 euros. Bureau Report