Germany: Union calls for another strike by Lufthansa ground staff
March 4, 2024
A major German union on Monday called on Lufthansa ground staff to strike again on Thursday and Friday, March 7 and 8, as it seeks to increase pressure ahead of another round of talks next week.
He said the team was expected to stop work from 4am on Thursday (03:00 GMT/UTC) until 7:10am on Saturday in total.
Delays and cancellations are likely, with previous similar strikes disrupting flights and drawing criticism from Lufthansa.
On February 20, seven German airports were affected, most Lufthansa passenger flights were suspended and around 100,000 passengers were affected. The second strike, on February 28, focused more on disrupting cargo services.
What Verdi said about the last strike
The influential Verdi union, Germany’s second largest by number of members, is negotiating on behalf of around 25,000 workers in the dispute.
“It is inexplicable to anyone that this company is about to announce a record annual performance this week, that it will significantly increase bonuses for its board, and that local staff with an hourly wage of sometimes €13 (about US$ 14) I don’t even know how they intend to survive in some of the most expensive cities in Germany,” Verdi said, citing negotiator Marvin Reschinsky.
A new round of negotiations, the fifth in the dispute, is scheduled for March 13th and 14th. Verdi said he will not return to the negotiating table sooner unless Lufthansa presents an improved offer in advance, a position criticized by Lufthansa. Lufthansa had offered negotiations for this Monday, March 4th.
Planes and trains affected by strikes
Trains and public transport services have also been disrupted by several strikes in recent weeks in Germany, with negotiations faltering and no progress in sight.
The resulting disruptions in the movement of people and goods were even mentioned by the German central bank Bundesbank last month as a cause for economic concern, when it announced that the country could enter a technical recession at the end of the first quarter.
A few days later, the German government revised downwards its economic growth forecast for next year.
msh/ab (dpa, Reuters)
Source: DW
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