Aimed at raising pressure on the management, Lufthansa's ground staff are to go on strike all day on Wednesday - ver.di is calling for this. Frankfurt am Main, Düsseldorf and Berlin are among those affected but Lufthansa finds this “completely incomprehensible”.
The ver.di union has called on Lufthansa ground staff to go on an all-day warning strike. As the union announced early in the morning, the strike is scheduled to begin on Wednesday at four in the morning and will affect the locations in Frankfurt am Main, Munich, Hamburg, Berlin and Düsseldorf. The action is scheduled to last until Thursday morning.
The union, which represents around 25,000 Lufthansa ground personnel, is demanding a 12.5%, and no less than €500 ($540), monthly wage hike, a one-time €3,000 ($3,250) bonus to offset a cost of living crisis.
Ver.di justified the call with what the union believes is Lufthansa's unyielding stance:
"This strike would be unnecessary if Lufthansa were to grant ground employees the same increases as other employee groups in the group. However, there was no willingness to do this at the negotiating table. That's why we hope on the understanding of the passengers, because they, like the employees, also want an end to the staff shortage and better service," said ver.di negotiator Marvin Reschinsky.
Union’s negotiator Marvin Reschinsky said,
“Lufthansa's ground personnel already have 10% less in their pockets than they did three years ago. Despite record profits, the management has come up with an offer which would only make things worse for the employees,” he said in a statement.
“This strike would be unnecessary if Lufthansa were to grant ground personnel the same increases as others. However, there was no willingness to do this at the negotiating table,” he added.
Lufthansa expects the warning strike to have a strong impact. The airline said more than a hundred thousand passengers would be affected by the consequences of a special flight schedule. This is currently being developed. The company sharply criticized the union's actions:
"Even before the actual negotiations have begun, the length and extent of the strike are completely incomprehensible," it said in the statement.
Human resources director Michael Niggemann said that the warning strike, planned for 27 hours, would place a disproportionate burden on guests and employees.
The employers have already submitted a concrete offer, which includes, among other things, further increases in remuneration and additional benefits totaling over 13 percent over the next three years as well as an inflation compensation bonus.
The industrial dispute will affect Lufthansa and its maintenance and freight subsidiaries in particular. Negotiations between unions and management are due to resume on 12 February in Frankfurt.
