Verdi calls on Lufthansa ground staff to strike again

Work will stop again throughout the day on Wednesday in the German cities of Main, Munich, Hamburg, Berlin and Dusseldorf.

The Verdi union called on ground staff of Lufthansa parent AUA to go on an all-day warning strike on Wednesday. As the union announced on Monday morning, the strike is scheduled to begin on Wednesday at 4 a.m. and will affect Lufthansa sites in Frankfurt/Main, Munich, Hamburg, Berlin and Düsseldorf. The industrial strike is scheduled to continue until Thursday, February 8 at 7:10 am.

“This strike would not be necessary if Lufthansa gave ground staff the same increases as other employee groups in the group. However, there was no desire to do this at the negotiating table. So we hope “Passengers should understand, because, like employees, they also want to end staff shortages and improve service.”

Criticism of zero months

The background to the strike call is ongoing collective bargaining negotiations across the company for approximately 25,000 employees on the floor. According to Verdi, no sufficient offer has been made in the negotiations so far. The eight zero months were specifically criticized without initially developing compensation, the low raise increases, the 36-month duration, and the demands that were not fully answered. For example, the offer stipulates an average increase of less than two percent in the first year, Verdi says. In addition, employees outside Lufthansa Technik should receive a lower inflation compensation bonus.

The union is demanding a 12.5% ​​increase in salaries for Lufthansa ground staff, which equates to at least 500 euros per month over twelve months. There will also be a group-wide inflation compensation bonus of €3,000 for employees. The next round of negotiations is scheduled to take place on February 12, 2024 in Frankfurt am Main.

Ground worker strikes had a massive impact on flight operations during the latest round of collective bargaining. In July 2022, a ground staff strike largely paralyzed air traffic at Lufthansa's hubs in Frankfurt and Munich (APA/Reuters)