Pilots' union rebuffs latest Lufthansa offer on pay, conditions

The German pilots' union has rejected Lufthansa's latest proposal in a long-running row over pay and conditions, a union spokesman said Friday. After the union declared talks were over last week, Lufthansa tried to restart discussions Wednesday by making a new offer including a revised early retirement scheme, a pay rise and job guarantees for pilots on German collective labour agreements. But a union spokesman said that coming to one agreement on a wide range of issues no longer made sense. Strikes are not on the cards at present, he added. The airline is trying to cut costs and restructure pension schemes to better compete with low-cost rivals and leaner Gulf carriers. It has already agreed wide-ranging deals with ground staff and cabin crew, but has so far failed to reach agreement with around 5,400 pilots on German contracts. <br/>