Luftscamsa - Lufthansa Lobbies to Undermine German Strike Law

Lufthansa is lobbying the German government to severely restrict the right to strike, even as the company refuses to engage in the very mediation processes it publicly champions. In a new policy paper, the company appeals directly to legislators to intervene in labor relations after a series of strikes cost the airline group hundreds of millions of euros. The strategy is a clear attempt to bypass the bargaining table and use political leverage to weaken its unions. A Self-Serving Proposal Lufthansa’s proposal calls for a new law to regulate industrial action, specifically for sectors designated as “critical infrastructure”—a category that conveniently includes its own airline operations. By framing the issue around national importance, the airline seeks legislative intervention that would directly benefit its own bargaining position. In its “Politikbrief,” Lufthansa complains that German strike law is not formally codified. It claims this has created a “structural imbalance” that allows small unions to inflict maximum damage with little financial risk, quoting its former Supervisory Board Chairman, Dr. Karl-Ludwig Kley, who claimed the current situation leaves employers “with little more than a seat in the stands.” Sabotaging Its Own Demands The company’s public posture is directly contradicted by its actions behind closed doors. An investigation by Pax Sentinel confirms that in April 2026, Lufthansa management deliberately scuttled arbitration talks with its pilots’ union, Vereinigung Cockpit (VC). While the union offered to enter a standard arbitration process, Lufthansa issued a poison pill demand: any arbitration would have to renegotiate every major existing contract, including long-settled agreements on retirement and working conditions. The union correctly identified the move as a bad-faith attempt to use the crisis to gut long-standing labor agreements. A Lufthansa spokesperson confirmed the company's position, stating that for a “fresh start, all our major collective bargaining issues must be included.” This demand made any good-faith mediation impossible. A Calculated Confrontation This two-faced strategy—publicly calling for mediation while privately sabotaging it—is part of a calculated pattern of confrontation from Lufthansa management. The company has a well-documented history of using its complex corporate structure to attack its own workforce, a tactic detailed in a [prior Pax Sentinel investigation](/en/article/gtLjDSYD_how-lufthansa-weaponizes-subsidiaries-against-labor). The lobbying effort is a public relations exercise intended to paint the airline as a victim of unruly unions. In reality, management is trying to achieve through legislation what it cannot win at the bargaining table: the erosion of worker rights. This aggressive stance aligns with the recent appointment of Dr. Johannes Teyssen as Supervisory Board Chairman, a leader known for executing [sweeping job cuts during his time at E.ON](/en/article/6dH5i93W_teyssen-confirmed-as-new-supervisory-board-chairman). The combination of confrontational bargaining and political lobbying signals a new, more hostile chapter in the airline's labor relations.