Lufthansa’s Eurowings union calls off strikes in cabin-crew feud

Lufthansa’s Eurowings dodged more strikes this week after a cabin-crew union decided to give negotiations another chance to resolve a contract dispute. The union UFO, which rejected arbitration after the two sides failed to reach an agreement over the weekend, offered a new round of talks to “make further labor action obsolete,” according to a letter to Lufthansa management posted on the union’s website. UFO proposed Matthias Platzeck, a former PM of the German state of Brandenburg and a mediator in past disputes, to lead the gathering. Eurowings said it welcomed the union’s offer and is evaluating potential dates. The flight attendants had said they would halt work on two unspecified days this week unless a better offer is made. Eurowings, which was mostly grounded by a strike on Thursday, has offered the workers a pay increase of 7% on average. Unions have used contract disputes to disrupt plans by Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr to cut costs. Eurowings is at the centre of the effort, and Spohr is pushing to expand the unit into Europe’s third-largest discount airline. <br/>