German pilots strike lifted for now by Zuzana Zelenakova

Pilots of the biggest European airline Lufthansa lifted strike on Monday, one day since the beginning of the strike. About 4,000 pilots have complained about low wages and their jobs being threatened . 800 flights were cancelled on Monday and plans travel plans of thousands of people were disrupted. Lufthansa has already filed the legal action at a labor court to protect its customers and shareholders from further inconvenience. "This strike is disproportionate," said Deutsche Lufthansa AG spokeswoman Claudia Lange. "We hope for a decision within the next 24 hours." Pilots represented by the Cockpit union originally planned for the walkout to last for four days, however, t! hese plans were averted by two-hour long hearing at Frankfurt labor court where both sides came to an agreement according to which the strike will officially end at midnight (2300 GMT, 6 p.m. EST). "The parties agreed in front of the court that the strike is to be suspended through the 8th of March," said Lufthansa spokesman Andreas Bartels. He added that pilots will return to work Tuesday, but "I can't say when we are back to normal operations. It takes a lot of time." Also in other European countries they are experiencing transportation problems. French carrier Air France announced a four-day strike starting Tuesday, which has paralyzed Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports in Paris. However, only flights within the European continent will be implicated in the strike. British Airways are on the verge of cabin crews walkout. With flight schedules affected by the strikes, travelling by train has represented main alternative for most of the passengers. However, Eurostar opera! ting between Paris, Brussels and London faced another failure ! Sunday a s one of their trains broke down in Southern England leaving several hundred passengers trapped in carriages in dark.

related story (sgx16556): http://www.france24.com/en/20100222-lufthansa-pilots-strike-...

by Zuzana Zelenakova for SigEx Ventures (http://sigexventures.com)

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