Ruptly
"Lufthansa cabin crew members staged a strike at Munich Airport on Friday, disrupting operations in protest against what they described as unsustainable working conditions and rising operational pressures. Footage shows demonstrators from the Independent Flight Attendant Organisation (UFO) rallying in yellow vests, blowing whistles and waving union flags. Some can be seen carrying signs reading, 'since when are fair working conditions a privilege?' The union's chairman, Joachim Vaquez Burger, warned that Lufthansa CityLine faces unresolved uncertainty for around 800 cabin crew members, with no agreed social plan, leaving families and livelihoods in limbo. "There is still no willingness to negotiate a social plan for the CityLine with us. 800 cabin crew members do not know what will happen next. We are left hanging in the air. Families and livelihoods depend on this. They are playing with our future. Stop it," he stated. The union alleges Lufthansa plans to increase working hours and reduce rest periods. Burger warned that rest times, particularly on European continental routes, are already being pushed close to EU legal safety limits, raising concerns about fatigue and flight safety. "That is a real problem, because if you come on board exhausted, you can no longer perform your duties properly. This constant strain must be reduced," Burger said. Burger also criticised Lufthansa's cost-cutting strategy, including outsourcing to lower-cost subsidiaries, which he says is undermining staff conditions and productivity balance. A Lufthansa cabin crew member emphasised that the dispute is not about pay, but about working conditions and sustainability of the profession. "We have a job that demands an enormous amount from us," she said, pointing to shift work, night flights and long periods away from home. "If the conditions are cut back as severely as our employer intends, then this profession will not be sustainable much longer - certainly not under healthy conditions, not under fair conditions, and not in the long term," she continued. The strike comes amid ongoing collective bargaining talks covering Lufthansa and Lufthansa CityLine cabin crew, with the union warning that further industrial action cannot be ruled out if negotiations fail."
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