Status: 07/28/2022 10:16 a.m
Almost all flights can take place: After the warning strike by Lufthansa ground staff, the airline has returned to normal operations. But now the pilots are considering walking out.
After the warning strike by the ground staff with more than 1000 flight cancellations, Lufthansa has returned to normal operations. Almost all flights take place, said a company spokeswoman.
Ver.di representative Marvin Reschinsky had previously told the AFP news agency that the strike by Lufthansa ground staff had “ended since six o’clock”. “The employees have resumed their work and flight operations can take place regularly,” says Reschinsky.
Busy days expected
There were still a few flight cancellations at the Frankfurt hub in the morning. Longer queues of passengers formed at the security checks and no longer at the Lufthansa check-in counters.
Busy days can be expected at the airports as Baden-Württemberg has started its summer holidays and Bavaria will follow at the weekend.
More than 130,000 passengers affected by strike
The Lufthansa ground staff had largely brought the airline’s operations to a standstill with a strike in the middle of the summer travel season. The airline canceled almost all flights at the Frankfurt and Munich hubs, and Lufthansa feeder flights from the capital’s BER airport to Frankfurt and Munich were also canceled. Lufthansa spoke of around 1,000 canceled flights, and reportedly more than 130,000 passengers were affected.
The ver.di trade union had called around 20,000 ground staff on a warning strike in order to put pressure on the salary negotiations. Lufthansa had criticized the walkout, which was called after two rounds of negotiations, as disproportionate.
Deadlocked collective bargaining
The second round of collective bargaining between Lufthansa and ver.di for around 20,000 ground workers was unsuccessful. The union is demanding 9.5 percent more wages and a minimum hourly wage of 13 euros for a twelve-month period.
Lufthansa submitted an offer consisting of fixed amounts and a component dependent on business development for a term of 18 months. Negotiations are scheduled to continue on August 3rd and 4th in Frankfurt am Main.
ver.di has ruled out further industrial action before the next round of negotiations.
Union demands: Wissing should mediate
Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing called on the union and companies to resolve the wage war quickly. “Responsible and fast negotiation is appropriate after air traffic already has enough problems to deal with,” said the FDP politician to “Bild”. The conflict must be resolved within the framework of collective bargaining autonomy. “Both parties to the collective bargaining agreement should think of the travelers and not settle their dispute on their backs.”
The Union campaigned for Wissing to get involved in the collective bargaining dispute. “Mister, bring the collective bargaining parties to the negotiating table. Take your responsibility for German air traffic and make sure that people can finally fly on their well-deserved vacation after two years of travel restrictions,” said the deputy chairman of the CDU/ CSU parliamentary group, Ulrich Lange, of the “Bild” newspaper.
Lufthansa pilots vote on strike
Meanwhile, the pilots’ union Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) set the course for a labor dispute. The ballot ends on Sunday, said VC collective bargaining board member Marcel Gröls to the “Spiegel”. If the majority of pilots are in favor of this, it does not mean that there will be a strike right away. “But it’s a warning sign. And we’re not bluffing.”
If the airline’s management doesn’t make a good offer in the ongoing collective bargaining, the airline’s cockpit staff have no choice but to go on strike. “We are ready to talk. But our patience is limited.”
Pilots’ union demands 5.5 percent salary increase
The VC is therefore demanding 5.5 percent more salary for the year 2022 and then automatic inflation compensation. In addition, the pilots are pushing for a uniform tariff structure. Instead of reducing complexity through fewer flight operations, as Lufthansa boss Carsten Spohr was striving for before the Corona crisis, two new ones were founded. “We claim: only to circumvent collective agreements.”
The top management is artificially separating the team instead of creating a powerful, uniform organization. “The goal must be to set the benchmark for the best remuneration and to introduce other groups of employees,” says Gröls.