On April 22, 2013, a one-day strike of the Lufthansa took place. As a result, 1720 flights to many countries were canceled. German railways were forced to launch several additional trains. The strike affected all important airports in Germany - in Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich, Hamburg, Cologne and Dusseldorf, including forty flights from Germany to Russia and vice versa. The Lufthansa strike affected twenty-two Moscow flights to Dusseldorf, Munich, Hamburg, Frankfurt and vice versa. Twelve flights were transferred from St. Petersburg to Munich, Frankfurt and Dusseldorf. Two flights in different directions were canceled between Frankfurt and Yekaterinburg, Nizhny Novgorod and Samara.
Civil aviation workers in the services trade union demanded a 5.2 percent increase in wages for thirty-three thousand employees. They also sought safeguards against layoffs.
This is far from the first strike of the Lufthansa in its history. The month before , the union had a strike demanding that salaries be increased for ground personnel. Then it was necessary to cancel more than 700 sorties, including transcontinental and international.
Moreover, six months earlier the flight attendants of this airline held their protest. Then Lufthansa canceled several thousand flights. Prior to this, negotiations of the so-called UFO union, representing the interests of flight attendants, lasted 13 months. But they did not bring results, which was the reason for the series of protests. The two previous cabin crew strikes lasted 8 hours and were held only at selected airports in Munich, Berlin and Frankfurt. But even they actually paralyzed the country's air traffic.
In the end, the long-awaited compromise on the results of the April 24-hour strike was reached. The parties agreed on a gradual increase in salaries. In particular, within twenty-six months, salaries for employees of the company were increased by three percent, and for employees of subsidiaries - by almost five percent. In addition, improvements in terms of working conditions were promised and protection against dismissals was established.
Although this Lufthansa strike was widespread, a serene atmosphere prevailed at German airports. This was achieved with the help of competent notification of Lufthansa passengers. Tickets for canceled departures to people were reimbursed or exchanged for other dates.
The restructuring of Europe’s largest airline Lufthansa, a strike by its personnel, hit its profitability. In 2012, the German Lufthansa earned as much as 524 million euros of so-called pre-tax profit. However, this is thirty-six percent less than last year.
In addition, increased fuel costs. Kerosene spending increased by eighteen percent and amounted to almost seven and a half billion euros. This crisis is forcing the German operator to cut costs and lay off staff. The costs associated with the restructuring will affect the profits of the airline until the beginning of 2015.