Rosalia SánchezSEGUIRBerlín Updated: Save Send news by mail electrónicoTu name *

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On the table of negotiations, Lufthansa, there is a proposed reduction of wages of its approximately 5,000 pilots up to 45% . It would be a downgrade volunteer with the pilots, once the protagonists of aggressive strikes that left at close to tens of thousands of passengers throughout Europe, seek to place their grain of sand to the continuity of the company, the subject of rescue on the part of the German State. Before a meeting of the leadership of Lufthansa with the trade unions, which will take place today, the trade union Cockpit Union (VC) has renewed its offer of savings of around 350 million euros. “We want to keep the planes in the air”, said the president of VC, Markus Wahl. “Due to the existing difficulties, we are ready to salary reductions without any further conditions, initially until the end of 2020”.

Lufthansa has invited VC and the unions and See.di and Ufo (cabin staff) to a meeting to discuss the corporate restructuring in march, after a first meeting at the end of April have not obtained results. On that occasion, the pilots demanded conditions, a position that received serious criticisms from the unions that represent the rest of the employees of Lufthansa, in return for a rescue package from the German government for the value of nine billion euros, should get ready for deep cuts of employment . In terms purely arithmetical, to the airline it more than 10,000 employees, as has been recognized recently the CEO of Lufthansa, Carsten Spohr, a total of around of 138,000. The number of jobs that will be eliminated eventually depends on the negotiations with the trade unions.

“In view of this offer substantial, VC is expected to address the upcoming projects in association with us. Use this contribution for subcontract work on terms more poor people would be totally unacceptable,” he warned the pilots ‘ union about his great fear, that the posts deleted by the demands of ransom are replaced when the situation winding for contracts of a lower cost.

The largest air group in Europe announced last week that will no longer be quoted on the Dax 30 of Frankfurt , the main index of the German Stock, as of June 22, due to the drastic fall of their shares. After three decades in the first league stock German, will be quoted on the index of medium-sized companies after having lost more than one-third of its value so far this year and have been doomed rescue on the part of the German State, which becomes the reference shareholder with 20% of its capital.

Lufthansa lost nearly 2,100 million euros only in the first quarter of the year, six times the losses of the previous year, with an operating loss before extraordinary 1,200 million as a consequence of the global restrictions in the air traffic due to the pandemic. The board of directors and the supervisory board, in which the Government will have two representatives after the rescue, have given approval to the transfer of 24 slots (take-off and landing in certain time slots) at the airports of Frankfurt and Munich, the two largest of the european giant, as a condition imposed by the European Commission.

The austrian government has announced also an agreement with the group Lufthansa to provide a package of rescue of another 450 million euros , given that Austrian Airlines, the national carrier, which is owned by the German group. Lufthansa called for to Vienna 600 million, but the government of Sebastian Kurz has secured access only to credits guaranteed by the State by 300 million and 150 million more from the money provided by the EU. However, unlike what happens with Germany, which will enter into the capital of Lufthansa, Vienna does not participate in the capital of your airline that will continue to be 100% of Lufthansa, which is equivalent, in part, by the German government. The agreement, by imposition of the Green, one of the parties in coalition with the right-wing ÖVP, will force Austrian Airlines to meet certain targets in terms of reducing CO2 emissions and reducing noise pollution. The hub in Vienna, however, not to be touched.

“Lufthansa foresees lower costs compared to the level prior to the crisis”, pointed out the direction of the company, after announcing in April a reduction of its fleet to 100 units and its plan to close its subsidiary Germanwings. The roadmap of the restructuring will include a strong crop of personnel in the matrix and all of its subsidiaries (Austrian Airlines and Swiss included). Lufthansa employs nearly 140,000 people in around the world and from the start of the crisis remains immobilized approximately 700 aircraft, for a total of 760, and more than 60% of their part-time workers.