60-hour Lufthansa strike expected to impact 200.000 passengers
Ver.di has announced that ground staff working for Lufthansa at German airports will carry out another strike on March 7 through 9, which is expected to bring passenger flights to a standstill.
Ver.di announces strike for Lufthansa ground staff
Starting at 4am on March 7 and scheduled to end by 7.10am on March 9, Lufthansa ground staff are set to carry out another wave of industrial action ahead of further negotiations with Lufthansa bosses, ver.di has announced.
The flag-carrier airline has predicted that the 60-hour strike action will impact around 200.000 passengers and has said that travellers will receive information about cancellations and possible rebooking options.
Why are Lufthansa staff striking again?
The strike follows two previous actions held on February 5 and February 28, as ver.di negotiates a new collective bargaining agreement with union members working at Lufthansa, as is the case in many industries in Germany at the moment.
The union is demanding a 12,5 percent increase in pay for 12 months for Lufthansa employees, as well as a one-off payment of 3.000 euros to balance the consequences of inflation.
Ver.di spokesperson and negotiator Marvin Reschinsky said that many ground staff at Lufthansa are earning minimum wage or just a little more than 13-euros per hour, and are struggling to make ends meet as the cost of living increases in Germany.
Meanwhile, Lufthansa registered a record-breaking profit of 1,5 billion euros in the third quarter of 2023 alone, a 47 percent year-on-year increase. The airline is due to release its financial figures for the whole of 2023 on March 7.
"In the past few days, we have deliberately impacted passenger traffic with our strikes. However, by ignoring our request to negotiate, Lufthansa is telling us that it will only move when the pressure increases further,” said Rechinsky. The union is due to reenter negotiations with Lufthansa on March 13 and 14.