Pilots at Lufthansa, Germany's largest airline, will hold a three-day strike next week to pressure the German airline in pay and contract negotiations.
The strike will result in the cancellation of hundreds of flights, and will be the third strike to hit Frankfurt, Europe's third largest hub and Lufthansa's home base, within six weeks.
The dispute is over pay increases and so-called 'transition contracts' awarded to pilots retiring before the legal pension age officially kicks in.
Union Vereinigung Cockpit, which represents around 5,400 Lufthansa pilots, offered suggestions to resolve the pay row but the airline did not take up the offer seriously.
More than 99 percent of the pilots voted in favor of strike action to resolve the transition contract issue in a ballot.
Last Thursday Lufthansa cancelled a third of its 1,800 services due to a strike by public sector workers employed in areas such as baggage handling at German airports.
That strike came after industrial action by security staff caused thousands of passengers to miss their flights at the end of February.
adapted from Reuters
