German company Discover Airlines on Monday sharply criticized two unions for organizing a four-day strike that was due to start this week, in the middle of the summer holidays.
The pilots’ union VC and the cabin crew union UFO will strike from Tuesday to Friday. This will affect all flights of the holiday airline from Germany.
“Discover Airlines condemns the call for strike action by the two unions UFO and VC in the strongest terms,” the Lufthansa subsidiary said.
Discover called the strike irresponsible at such a busy time, especially since a collective agreement had been reached with Verdi, a larger German union that also represents the company’s flight crew.
The airline said the deal guarantees pay increases of up to 38% for cabin crew and 16% for pilots.
“The unilateral escalation of the sectoral unions since the announcement of the collective labor agreement with Verdi, and the call for a strike, clearly show that this is not about the interests of Discover Airlines employees,” it was argued.
Workers from the UFO and VC unions recently voted overwhelmingly in favor of a strike in separate ballots.
The unions argue that Verdi has too few members within the airline’s operations and that it has been appointed as a negotiating partner by Lufthansa management.
Discover Airlines, founded in 2021, operates 27 aircraft from Munich and Frankfurt to various holiday destinations in Europe and overseas. The fleet is expected to grow to 33 aircraft by 2027.
The airline has a workforce of almost 2,000, including 500 pilots and 1,400 cabin crew, with the rest in administration. The exact number of unionized employees is unknown.
The effects of an initial round of strikes by the two unions earlier this year remained limited.
