The way to vacation could end up in a pretty tough traffic jam this week – before check-in. Because this Thursday, according to the will of the Verdi union, at least at Lufthansa, nothing should go on at German airports. She calls on the company’s ground staff to go on warning strikes on Wednesday, throughout the day and at all locations. This would affect the airline’s major hubs in Frankfurt and Munich, but also flights from Düsseldorf, Cologne, Hamburg, Berlin, Bremen, Hanover, Stuttgart and Cologne.
The strike is to be from Wednesday morning at 3.45 a.m. to Thursday morning at 6 a.m. – in Baden-Württemberg this is the first day of vacation, Bavaria’s students will then follow the summer break on Saturday. The employees who ensure the correct positioning of aircraft on parking areas should participate in the walkout, which, according to Verdi, will lead to larger flight cancellations and delays. The ground crew also includes technicians and logisticians, without whose work the planes cannot take off either.
There is a huge crunch in the processes in aviation: the volume of travel is as high as it was at the peak before the corona pandemic, but the industry has lost or fired around a third of its staff in the past two years. Now that work is back, there is a shortage of employees in many places. In addition, many employees are ill in the current corona wave.
Verdi demands 9.5 percent more wages
According to its own statements, Lufthansa is offering around 20,000 employees at various subsidiaries a monthly salary increase of EUR 150 from July and a further EUR 100 from January, as well as a two-percent pay increase from July 2023, depending on business development. According to Verdi, the offer was criticized by the union members as insufficient. The union is demanding a wage increase of 9.5 percent or at least 350 euros per month.
She argues that in view of the overwork, high inflation and a three-year wage cut, significant wage increases for employees are justified. “They urgently need more money and they need relief – for themselves and for the passengers. The employer’s offer is not enough for that,” said Deputy Verdi Chairwoman Christine Behle. Lufthansa, on the other hand, described the warning strike as unreasonable. According to the company, the next round of negotiations is scheduled for August 3rd and 4th.