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| Lufthansa cabin crew begin strike | |
| (about 9 hours later) | |
| The union representing cabin staff at the German airline Lufthansa has started planned strike action at Frankfurt airport. | |
| The walkout, over pay and conditions, is expected to last for eight hours, from 0500 to 1300 local time. | |
| The UFO union said earlier this week that it would stage strikes after talks broke down. | The UFO union said earlier this week that it would stage strikes after talks broke down. |
| Lufthansa said it would prioritise long-haul flights and "wherever possible" these would not be cancelled. | Lufthansa said it would prioritise long-haul flights and "wherever possible" these would not be cancelled. |
| But it conceded that the industrial action "may lead to unscheduled flight delays and cancellations". | |
| A spokesman said Lufthansa planned to cancel 64 flights, or a quarter of flights, during the duration of the strike. | |
| The airline said the strike would mainly affect short and medium-haul flights, but also some long-haul. | |
| Pay row | |
| The UFO union had previously said it would strike but had refused to pinpoint its start time, saying it did not want to give Lufthansa the opportunity to prepare by getting replacement crews ready. | |
| The union and the airline have been in dispute for a year over pay and working conditions. | |
| The union is seeking a pay increase of 5% for cabin staff for 15 months starting from January this year, after three years of no increases. | The union is seeking a pay increase of 5% for cabin staff for 15 months starting from January this year, after three years of no increases. |
| It also wants guarantees that Lufthansa will not outsource jobs and use more temporary workers, as it has done in Berlin. | |
| Lufthansa's latest offer was for a pay increase of about 3.5%. | Lufthansa's latest offer was for a pay increase of about 3.5%. |
| UFO head Nicoley Baublies has said that the airline has also not assured that its staff will not be transferred to a cheaper contract if they moved to a low-cost airline within the group. | |
| Lufthansa has about 19,000 cabin crew and the UFO union represents about two-thirds of them. | Lufthansa has about 19,000 cabin crew and the UFO union represents about two-thirds of them. |