DHAKA: Lufthansa pilots have warned they will strike again on Tuesday and Wednesday after weekend talks failed to resolve a long-running row over pay.

The pilots’ union Vereinigung Cockpit said the walkout would affect short-haul flights on Tuesday, and both short and long-haul flights on Wednesday.

It is the 15th strike since April called by the union.

The German airline cancelled nearly 2,800 flights last week due to a four-day walkout by pilots.

“Unfortunately, high-level talks held today at short notice failed to lead to an agreement on the wage contract.”

“It is completely incomprehensible that (Lufthansa) has refused to put forward an offer that can at least form the basis of a negotiation,” said Joerg Handwerg, board member at Cockpit.

Lufthansa could not be reached for comment, says the BBC.

Vereinigung Cockpit wants an average annual pay rise of 3.7% for its 5,400 members in Germany, backdated to 2012.

On Friday, Lufthansa offered to increase wages by 2.4% in 2016, with an additional 2% rise in 2017. It said it would also provide a one-off payment of 1.8 months’ pay. The airline had previously offered a 2.5% pay hike.

But the union rejected the offer.

More than 350,000 passengers were affected by last week’s action. The airline has estimated that the strike is costing it about €10m a day.

Carsten Spohr, chief executive of Lufthansa, has claimed that the future of the airline would be threatened if it met the pilots’ demands.

Despite a record profit last year, the company said it was forced to slash costs to compete with budget rivals such as Ryanair in Europe and the likes of Emirates on long-haul routes.

BDST: 1150 HRS, NOV 28, 2016
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