Lufthansa resumes work after 24-hour strike

PanARMENIAN.Net - The German airline Lufthansa resumed normal operations on Saturday, September 8 a day after a nationwide 24-hour strike by cabin crew forced the cancellation of hundreds of flights. The two sides have agreed to mediation talks, DW said.

A spokesman for Germany's flag-carrier said the first flight had taken off at 5:30 a.m. local time on Saturday and that most flights were expected to run on schedule.

He said that as of mid-morning there had been no "incidents worth mentioning" and that only 15 flights had been cancelled as a "precautionary" measure. On an average day, Lufthansa operates around 1,800 flights.

The flight attendants agreed to return to work after the Independent Flight Attendants' Association (UFO), which represents them, and management agreed to seek a negotiated settlement to their dispute by the end of next week. The airline also agreed to refrain from the use of temporary workers as cabin crew out of Berlin for the time being. This, along with Lufthansa's plans to establish a new budget airline, is one of the main bones of contention in the labor dispute.

No further strikes can be expected as long as the two sides continue talks, in which an independent mediator is now involved.

The UFO is seeking a five percent increase for its workers following three years of stagnant wages, while Lufthansa has offered 3.5 percent.