Lufthansa ground staff set to strike on Thursday, Friday

BERLIN

German air carrier Lufthansa’s ground staff will go on a two-day strike from Thursday, over an ongoing dispute with the management over pay and working conditions.

The Verdi union said in a statement that Lufthansa employees will stop work from 4:00 a.m. local time (0300GMT) on Thursday to 7:10 a.m. (0610GMT) on Saturday at major airports across Germany.

Marvin Reschinsky, the union’s negotiator, criticized Lufthansa’s management for failing to come up with an acceptable offer during the fourth round of negotiations, which were held last month.

"It is impossible for anyone to have an understanding of what the company is doing, as it will be announcing record annual results this week and will be significantly increasing bonuses for the board members, while its ground workers, who are working mostly with hourly wages of €13 ($14.1), no longer know how they are going to make ends meet in the most expensive cities,” he said in a statement.

“In the past few days, we have deliberately avoided strike actions that could affect passenger traffic. However, by ignoring our request to negotiate, Lufthansa is conveying to us that it will only move when the pressure increases further. It is regrettable that they do not care about the frustration of passengers,” he added.

The strike action is expected to affect hundreds of flights on Thursday and Friday, and Lufthansa passengers were warned of massive cancellations and delays during these days at the country’s major airports.

In the ongoing collective bargaining dispute, the Verdi union is demanding a 12.5% rise and no less than €500 monthly wage hike for around 25,000 ground personnel, and a one-time €3,000 bonus to offset a cost-of-living crisis.

The next round of wage negotiations between Verdi and Lufthansa is expected to take place next week.