The right-wing government headed by Chancellor Angela Merkel plans to outsource all the jobs to foreign contractor.

 

February 22. 2010 (Hamsayeh.Net) - Germany’s national airliner Lufthansa announced the beginning of a four-day strike by more than 4000 of its employees over pay and job security. The strike, potentially devastating to this large European carrier, began in midst of an economic downturn gripping the nation.

 

Today around 3200 flights were expected to be hit by Lufthansa strike across Europe which is going to cost as much as 130 million euros to the company in four days. The company spokesman regretted the cancellation of flights and the inconveniences caused to passengers.

 

Lufthansa is the second major airline to be hit by bad news in recent months. Earlier Japan’s national airlines JAL, declared bankruptcy and is now undergoing extensive governmentally monitored restructuring program. Lufthansa’s strike received a green light from the trade union. Most German airline industry workers are afraid the right-wing government of the Chancellor Angela Merkel plans to outsource all the jobs to foreign contractor as a cost saving measure.

 

Workers in Germany receive some of the highest paid wages, on average, amongst the industrialized countries. Last year Berlin introduced a multi-billion euros package of economic incentives to kick-start the German economy, badly hit by the 2008 recession. But latest data showed Germany was still struggling as its economy grow by zero percent during the last three-month of 2009.

 

And now after the airliner went on a strike, both the workers’ union and Lufthansa officials have taken their own inflexibly solid positions. ‘We are open to talks without preconditions,’ Klaus Walther, another Lufthansa spokesman said. But the union wants a 6.4 percent raise and guarantees that no jobs would be lost if company starts a restructuring program.

 

So far many Western airline carriers have experienced dwindling profit margins, due to several factors including the ever increasing price for jet fuel, fear of terrorism and security issues and a general economic malaise around the world.