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Lufthansa hopes final talks will avert strike

German airline Lufthansa and its pilots said Saturday they were prepared to hold last-ditch talks to avert a crippling strike after an appeal by Transport Minister Peter Ramsauer.

Published: 20 February 2010 18:16 CET
Lufthansa hopes final talks will avert strike
Photo: DPA

Europe’s biggest airline said it favoured dialogue “in order to prevent at the last minute a strike which would have serious consequences for thousands of passengers, the German economy and Lufthansa.”

“We have asked for discussions with the management of the group to avoid misunderstandings,” said Jörg Handwerg, spokesman for the pilots’ union Cockpit.

Earlier Ramsauer called for talks to resume, saying in an interview with the Bild am Sonntag newspaper that he expected neither side to abandon its claims but warning that a strike would hit the German economy and “the image of the most renowned airline in the world.”

“A strike like this is happening at just the wrong moment,” Ramsauer said. “The biggest German fleet cannot be virtually grounded for four days.”

Lufthansa announced Friday it had cancelled 800 flights daily from Monday to Thursday because of the strike.

“Two-thirds of the Lufthansa flights affected by the strike have been cancelled as a pre-emptive measure,” a company statement said.

Regional services would not be affected, it said, and about 1,000 flights would go ahead daily.

The announcement came after the airline, which is Europe’s largest employing some 100,000 people, failed to reach a deal with the Cockpit union.

The strike could cost Lufthansa more than €65 million ($88 million), based on an estimate given Thursday which said the airline would lose around €100 million if all flights were grounded.

Before announcing the cancellations, the airline stressed that it remained “ready for constructive talks concerning job security” but said the union had rejected an offer to relaunch negotiations.

Cockpit plans a four-day strike from midnight on Monday (2300 GMT on Sunday) to press for a 6.4 percent pay rise, more say in company decisions and commitments that pilots would keep their jobs when Lufthansa shifts passengers to cheaper foreign affiliates.

Lufthansa’s subsidiary Germanwings said that despite the strike, it would operate two-thirds of its flights.

Lufthansa’s worst strike in its history happened nine years ago, causing travel misery for passengers and costing the firm millions of euros.

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WORKING IN GERMANY

Which Bavaria-based companies regularly hire English speakers?

Bavaria is no doubt a beautiful state with a strong economy, but can be a hard place for non-German speakers to integrate. The Local takes a look at job opportunities in Germany’s southeastern 'Free State.'

Published: 7 February 2024 10:54 CET
Updated: 10 February 2024 08:20 CET
Which Bavaria-based companies regularly hire English speakers?

Munich ranks third in German cities with the highest total GDP, behind Berlin and Hamburg, but in terms of GDP per capita, it’s higher than both of them.

It also consistently ranks high, often highest, in terms of average household income.

As of 2023, nine of the 40 companies listed on DAX, Germany’s stock index, were based in Bavaria. Seven of those are based specifically in Munich.

While Frankfurt is commonly known to be Germany’s business capital, Munich can claim the title of Germany’s insurance capital, which is saying something, as Germany is home to some of the largest insurance firms in the world, like Allianz.

Beyond the state’s capital city, a number of international companies are based elsewhere in Bavaria, particularly in the Franken region, near Nuremberg.

Which companies actively hire English speakers?

Bavaria, and Munich in particular, is home to a number of companies at the forefront of international business. But the state is known for its traditional, sometimes conservative, culture, which affects its business culture as well.

Whereas companies embracing English as their primary business language are easy to find in Berlin, the practice is less common in the south. That said, there are some notable exceptions. 

Sportswear giants, Adidas and Puma, both have their headquarters near Nuremberg in Herzogenaurach, and regularly recruit English speaking international talent.

“As an international company, our teams reflect the rich diversity of our consumers and communities,” Jon Greenhalgh, Senior Manager Media Relations for Adidas told The Local. “Fostering a culture of inclusion where we value and leverage differences, ensures that we can authentically engage with our employees and truly connect with our consumers.”

He added that around 40 per cent of Adidas’ Germany-based employees are foreign nationals, from over 100 different countries.

Siemens and BMW rank among Bavaria’s top employers, and are also known to hire their fair share of foreigners.

“In Germany, we recently had around 2,000 open positions,” Konstanze Somborn told The Local on behalf of Siemens AG.

He added that Siemens operates in 190 countries. “That is why we value international teams very much…English as a common language is very usual.”

READ ALSO: ‘Which German companies want to hire foreigners?’

Similarly, BMW hires workers from a variety of backgrounds. 

“Every year, we hire lots of internationals and welcome them to the BMW Group,” Dr. Hans-Peter Ketterl, a press spokesman for BMW Group told The Local. 

But not all of these positions are available to non-German speakers.

Ketterl added that BMW’s working language is German in the country, even though, “English is an indispensable entry requirement as the second corporate language in many areas of the company.”

Check job boards and follow best practices

If it’s your first time applying for jobs in Germany, make sure to change your resume to the German format, even for English positions.

While Germany is home to its own job boards, like Xing, LinkedIn is probably the best place to start. In addition to searching for positions based in your preferred location, you can check relevant groups, like Munich Startups, to broaden your horizons.

The English Jobs in Germany website is also a good resource to start with. 

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