Lufthansa strike: towards a black environment in German skies

Following an incident involving airport security officers last week, Germany’s skies are likely to be subject to major disruption again on Wednesday. One of Lufthansa’s main unions, Verdi, has called for a warning strike by the airline’s ground staff as part of a wage dispute targeting 25,000 workers whose purchasing power has been eroded by inflation.

This work stoppage, which will begin Wednesday from 4 a.m. to 7 a.m. Thursday, affects all ground workers, from maintenance to passenger and aircraft maintenance, so “significant flight cancellations and delays are expected,” according to the union. Many airports will be affected, such as Frankfurt, Munich, Hamburg, Berlin and Dusseldorf. The airline said it was working “on a special flight plan” that would accommodate “more than one hundred thousand passengers.”

“Increase pressure” on management

The union, which wants to “increase pressure” on management, is demanding a salary increase of 12.5% ​​for a period of 12 months. Verdi is demanding at least €500 more in monthly payroll and an inflation compensation bonus of €3,000. In addition, shift management will need to be improved.

For its part, Lufthansa is defending itself by saying it has a proposal that includes increases of “more than 13 percent” over a three-year period and the payment of “significant bonuses to compensate for inflation.” But the union says management’s offer is “totally insufficient” ahead of formal negotiations due to begin on February 12. Due to inflation, Lufthansa employees’ pockets are “already about 10 percent less than three years ago,” while the group has made “record profits” since the crisis, Verdi said. .