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This Wednesday, the ground staff of several Lufthansa companies will go on warning strike.
© Frank Rumpenhorst/dpa
The Verdi union has threatened longer strikes at Lufthansa if the board does not significantly improve its previous collective bargaining offer for ground staff.
The willingness to strike on the ground has never been as high in the past 20 years as it is now, said Verdi negotiator Marvin Reschinsky on Wednesday at a protest meeting with several hundred participants in front of the Lufthansa administration at Frankfurt Airport.
Frankfurt/Main - The warning strike sends a clear signal to the board: “We can go longer if you ask us to.”
There was significantly limited operations at Germany's largest airport in the morning because its main customer Lufthansa canceled up to 90 percent of its 600 planned take-offs and landings due to the 27-hour warning strike.
Reschinsky accused the management of treating its own people disrespectfully.
He said: “The two-class society between flying personnel and the ground must finally be ended.” Rally participants were very dissatisfied with their working conditions.
A baggage investigator reported: “We have 50 percent fewer employees than before Corona, but the work has remained the same.
Actually, we should demand even more.” Her colleague said: “We need the increase to live on, everything has become much more expensive.”
Verdi has called on employees of various Lufthansa companies at the Frankfurt am Main, Munich, Hamburg, Berlin and Düsseldorf locations to go on warning strike.
As a precautionary measure, the airline canceled between 80 and 90 percent of its 1,000 scheduled flights for Wednesday.
More than 100,000 passengers had to reschedule.
In the ongoing collective bargaining dispute, Verdi is demanding 12.5 percent more salary, but at least 500 euros per month for a term of twelve months.
There will also be a group-wide uniform inflation compensation bonus of 3,000 euros.
Lufthansa points to past wage increases and has offered 13 percent more money and an inflation compensation bonus for a period of three years.
The next round of negotiations is planned for February 12th in Frankfurt am Main.
dpa