German carrier Deutsche Lufthansa AG expects considerable disruption to its flight plan Friday if a threatened strike by cabin crew goes ahead, company spokesman Klaus Walther said Wednesday.
The situation is "very, very grave," he told journalists.
Lufthansa is working on an emergency timetable, which it hopes to post online later Wednesday. A strike by labor union UFO on Tuesday in Berlin, Frankfurt and Munich affected 51,000 passengers, Mr. Walther said. UFO represents about 18,000 Lufthansa cabin crew.
Late Tuesday, the union said it would resume strikes on Friday, this time across the country and for 24 hours.
The company isn't considering using a mediator in the dispute as "one can only mediate on matters which can be mediated," said Lufthansa passenger airline's personnel chief Peter Gerber.
Mr. Gerber added Lufthansa is ready to negotiate with the union.
The union and Lufthansa are locked in a bitter dispute over pay and working conditions, such as the hiring of temporary staff, which the union opposes.
In April, UFO demanded a 5% wage increase for Lufthansa flight attendants, a profit-related bonus valued at as much as a month's pay and a guarantee the airline wouldn't outsource jobs or employ temporary cabin-crew employees. Lufthansa has offered a 3.5% wage increase and a moratorium on hiring temporary employees.
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