Next strike

Lufthansa: Flight operations almost paralyzed

The AUA parent company was only able to offer around 10 percent of its flights on Tuesday.

(Bild: APA/dpa/Boris Roessler)

For the second time this month, a warning strike by ground staff has almost paralyzed Lufthansa operations. The AUA parent company was only able to operate around ten percent of its flights on Tuesday. More than 100,000 passengers had to change their plans. Austrian Airlines flights were not affected.

The warning strike was particularly noticeable at the Munich and Frankfurt hubs, but Lufthansa flights were also canceled at many other airports. There were also strike actions in Hamburg, Berlin, Düsseldorf, Cologne/Bonn and Stuttgart.

The trade union Verdi had already called individual groups of employees such as technicians and IT experts out on warning strike from Monday evening and also struck a ground service provider in Munich. On Tuesday morning, employees at the counters, gates and directly at the aircraft joined the strike.

Verdi is demanding a 12.5 percent pay rise for the more than 20,000 employees as well as an inflation compensation bonus of 3,000 euros for a period of one year.

(Bild: AFP)

"We have proven that we can strike"
Together with a shortened notice period, the second wave of strikes will have an even greater impact than the first one just under two weeks ago, explained strike and negotiation leader Marvin Reschinsky. Around 900 flights were canceled at the beginning of February.

The union wants to reach an agreement at the wage negotiations scheduled for Wednesday. "We have now proven twice that we can strike," says Reschinsky. "It would therefore be wise to reach a deal now." From the union's point of view, the round of negotiations in Frankfurt could well be extended to Thursday if a deal is within reach.

Offer to be improved
The trade unionist once again demanded a higher offer. Compared to the pilots, the salary increases offered so far for ground staff were clearly too low. The comparison made by Lufthansa Chief Human Resources Officer Michael Niggemann that the offer was in line with the agreement in the public sector did not hold water. "We don't have tight budgets at Lufthansa. And unlike in the public sector, employees still have a lot of catching up to do from the coronavirus era."

Verdi is demanding 12.5 percent more pay for the more than 20,000 employees as well as an inflation compensation bonus of 3,000 euros for a period of one year. Lufthansa recently offered the bonus and around ten percent more pay for a term of 25 months. The first increase is to take place in December 2024. A Lufthansa spokesperson left open whether the company would increase its offer on Wednesday.