CONFUSION AND CHAOS Court temporarily bars Lufthansa strike in Duesseldorf

Posted on 11/11/2015 | About Dusseldorf, Germany

Lufthansa and thousands of passengers at its German hubs braced for more delays and cancellations - even as the airline and the union for striking flight attendants said late Tuesday they were open to mediation.  Meanwhile A court decision in Duesseldorf added to uncertainty. The labour court there ordered a temporarily halt to a strike - a decision that applies only in that town and only for the remaining few hours of Tuesday. The court said the strike's goals were not clearly formulated.

Court spokeswoman Anke Salchow said the decision only applied Tuesday, but that Lufthansa could seek another injunction Wednesday. Lufthansa has also sought a court order from a panel in Darmstadt that would cover Frankfurt and Munich.

Officials for the UFO flight attendants union did not call a halt to the ongoing stoppages at Frankfurt, Munich and Duesseldorf, but indicated they would be open to mediation under certain conditions, the dpa news agency reported. A mediation proposal had been sent by the company.

As things stood, the union was to strike long-haul and local flights Wednesday through Friday at the three airports. The strike action started Friday and took a break Sunday.

Lufthansa has been able to carry out most flights but hundreds have been cancelled.

The UFO union wants to secure transition payments for its 19,000 members if they retire early, among other demands as part of its contract dispute with Lufthansa, which is trying to cut costs.

The union rejected the airline's latest offer Monday, saying it constituted only a “minimal” improvement. UFO representatives noted Tuesday that the airline recently increased its pre-tax earnings forecast for the year.

Flights operated by Lufthansa subsidiaries such as Germanwings, Swiss and Austrian Airlines won't be affected.