A union representing pilots at Germany's Lufthansa has called for a three-day strike next week in a long-running pay dispute.

The Vereinigung Cockpit union said it is calling on pilots to walk off the job next Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, April 2-4. The union said Friday it is currently ruling out any further strikes until the end of the Easter vacation.

Last week, the union said pilots at Lufthansa, Lufthansa Cargo and the company's budget airline Germanwings had voted by a huge majority for strike action. Among other issues in the dispute, the union says Lufthansa has failed to make a "negotiable offer" during two years of pay negotiations.

Lufthansa has been trying to cut costs amid tough competition from European budget carriers and aggressively expanding government-owned Gulf airlines.