Lufthansa technician: "It is the Federal Government's turn"
Photo: KAI PFAFFENBACH / REUTERSLufthansa has ended negotiations with the Ver.di union about a contribution to reducing costs in the Corona crisis for the time being. It was decided not to continue the negotiations for the time being, said a company spokeswoman on Thursday. "We're not seeing any progress right now." But they will return to the negotiating table if the union should "submit an offer with significant savings in personnel costs".
The union strongly criticized the move. "The refusal is a slap in the face of the employees," said Ver.di deputy chairwoman Christine Behle. In view of the acute urgency, the around 35,000 ground staff had already promised far-reaching contributions at the beginning of the negotiations, "up to now in the amount of 600 million euros". Behle warned that Lufthansa had to live up to its social responsibility and return to the negotiating table.
The trade unionist now hopes that Berlin, as a major shareholder, will speak a word of power: "It is now the Federal Government's turn to exert its influence on the company to protect employment and maintain German air transport infrastructure." Lufthansa could only be saved from bankruptcy in the Corona crisis with a government rescue package worth nine billion euros.
Should Lufthansa finally break off the negotiations, it would probably have to issue redundancies for operational reasons.
Icon: The mirrormik / Reuters