Germany: Lufthansa faces new strike from another union
March 9, 2024
The German union UFO on Saturday called on its approximately 19,000 members who work as cabin crew for Lufthansa and Lufthansa Cityline to go on strike on Tuesday or Wednesday, March 11 and 12.
It is the latest in a series of attacks affecting Lufthansa, with Verdi ground staff dropping tools for 27 hours on Thursday and Friday. The latest impacts of this action, with isolated delays and cancellations, were evident on Saturday.
Like the Verdi union, UFO referenced Lufthansa’s strong performance in 2023 announced this week – recovering from major disruptions and losses during the COVID pandemic – when explaining the strike.
“The cabin crew must now also share in this success and the concessions that were made during the COVID crisis must be adequately compensated,” said Joachim Vazquez Bürger, chairman of the UFO council.
Strike hits Frankfurt on Tuesday, Munich on Wednesday
UFO said members should strike on all departures leaving Frankfurt airport on Tuesday, and on all flights leaving Munich on Wednesday, in an action aimed at Germany’s two busiest airports. in number of passengers.
The strike hours on each day would be from 4 am to 11 pm, he said.
According to UFO, 96% of participating members voted in favor of the action in a pair of votes for Lufthansa and Lufthansa Cityline workers.
UFO says it is asking for a 15% pay increase with further negotiations after 18 months, as well as an inflation compensation payment of €3,000 (about US$3,300) for its around 18,000 Lufthansa members and around 1,000 in Lufthansa Cityline short distance. low-cost subsidiary.
Widespread disruptions to public transport
Similar labor conflicts are currently affecting several public transport companies in Germany, leading to a series of strikes affecting planes, trains and other transport services.
Lufthansa ground crews went on strike on Thursday and Friday. Security staff at Düsseldorf airport began an unannounced strike on Thursday.
Also on Thursday, train drivers participated in a 35-hour strike as part of their call for a 35-hour work week still offset by the current 38-hour standard. Only about one in five long-distance trains ran that day.
Train drivers union GDL said it will no longer provide advance notice for strike action to ensure the rail network is no longer a “reliable” mode of transport.
Local public transportation has faced similar disruptions, varying from state to state.
The German central bank warned last month that the strikes could impact economic performance, warning that the country would likely enter a technical recession at the end of this quarter.
Source: DW
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