Lufthansa to strike from tomorrow, serious cancellations and delays expected

(Patria) - The Verdi union has called on ground staff of the German airline Lufthansa to strike on Wednesday, which will affect airports in Frankfurt, Munich, Hamburg, Berlin and Dusseldorf, a union spokesperson announced yesterday.

All ground staff, from maintenance to passenger handling and aircraft preparation, have been called to cease work, and there will likely be serious cancellations and delays, the DPA agency reported.

The strike is a reaction to ongoing collective bargaining on wages for approximately 25,000 employees at Deutsche Lufthansa, Lufthansa Technik, its cargo division, and other parts of the company.

The union rejected the employers' offer in the second round of negotiations on January 23, deeming the proposed wage increase too small. The next round of negotiations is scheduled for February 12.

Lufthansa also announced that it expects the strike to have serious consequences and that an extraordinary flight schedule will affect more than 100,000 passengers.

Lufthansa's Head of Human Resources, Michael Niggemann, said that the warning strike, which is scheduled to last 27 hours, affects passengers.

He stated that the employers have come up with a concrete offer, which provides for an additional increase in non-wage benefits by 13 percent over the next three years, as well as an inflation compensation bonus.

German airports have recently experienced major disruptions due to union actions. Last Thursday, Verdi organized a warning strike of security personnel at several major airports.

The strike was then organized due to Verdi's demands for an increase of 2.80 euros per hour for about 25,000 airport security workers employed by private companies.

Employers rejected this demand, stating that it was excessive and would cost them 20 million euros annually.