Overview
- Vereinigung Cockpit opened a strike authorization vote on September 12 for roughly 4,800 pilots at Lufthansa’s core airline and Lufthansa Cargo.
- Balloting runs until September 30 and requires 70% approval of all eligible members, with nonvotes and abstentions counted as no.
- Work stoppages are off the table during the vote, but action could begin in early October if authorization is secured.
- The dispute centers on boosting employer payments into funded pensions after weak returns; a VC example raises the monthly contribution from about €820 to roughly €2,600.
- Lufthansa has not detailed its offers and cites losses at the core brand despite group profits, while VC says seven rounds of talks produced no substantive increase.