Lufthansa Ground Staff On Strike Amidst Wage Negotiations
Ground crew at Lufthansa, the German airline, initiated a walkout at several major airports on Wednesday, exacerbating an already difficult situation amid ongoing wage discussions. This industrial action has worsened travel problems in Germany, which was already suffering from strikes in the railway and public transport sectors. The strike by Lufthansa's ground workers has exacerbated the difficulties encountered by travellers in Europe's largest economy.
Lufthansa's ground crew walked off the job at five major German airports, forcing the carrier to cancel hundreds of flights. The Ver.di union called a walkout in Frankfurt and Munich, Lufthansa's main hubs, as well as Berlin, Duesseldorf, and Hamburg. Lufthansa expects to operate only 10-20 per cent of all scheduled flights, forcing more than 100,000 travellers to rearrange their travel arrangements.
The union is negotiating a 12.5 per cent salary increase for over 25,000 employees. The ground staff, represented by the Ver.di union, is on strike for 27 hours, requesting a 12.5 per cent rise, or $538 a month. Lufthansa has expressed concern with the scale of the strike action and is developing contingency preparations to minimise disruption for passengers.
The strike comes amid a surge of labour issues in Germany's transport sector, including recent strikes by security personnel at major airports and hurting local transport services. The strike is expected to cause major disruptions to Lufthansa's flight schedule on 7 & 8 February, and impacted passengers will be notified of cancellation and rebooking options.
