Germany’s biggest airports to be affected by one-day strike by transport sector workers
18 February 2024 - 20:59
byIlona Wissenback and Alexander Ratz
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The tale of a Lufthansa airliner looks out of a technical aviation service station of Lufthansa Technik at the Franz-Josef-Strauss airport near Munich, Germany, February 15 2024. Picture: WOLFGANG RATTAY/ REUTERS
Berlin — Ground staff at German airline Lufthansa will go on strike on Tuesday, the Verdi union said on Sunday, announcing the latest industrial action to hit Germany’s transport sector as workers demand more pay.
The strike is scheduled to start at 4am on Tuesday and finish at 7.10am on Wednesday, the union said.
The airports affected are Frankfurt, Munich, Hamburg, Berlin, Duesseldorf, Cologne and Stuttgart.
Michael Niggemann, the Lufthansa executive board member responsible for human resources, said the strike was unfortunate as the German carrier had made a "far-reaching" offer during talks — which Verdi had rejected — and it would inconvenience customers and staff alike.
A similar strike caused the cancellation of 900 out of 1,000 planned flights at the start of February, affecting about 100,000 passengers.
The ground services arm is among several groups of Lufthansa workers in negotiations over collective bargaining agreements.
Verdi is demanding a wage increase of 12.5% for 25,000 ground staff workers, or at least €500 a month more over a 12-month period, plus a one-off payment of €3,000 to offset inflation.
Germany, Europe’s largest economy, has been hit with a number of nationwide strikes affecting air travel, railways and public transport.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Lufthansa ground staff announce strike
Germany’s biggest airports to be affected by one-day strike by transport sector workers
Berlin — Ground staff at German airline Lufthansa will go on strike on Tuesday, the Verdi union said on Sunday, announcing the latest industrial action to hit Germany’s transport sector as workers demand more pay.
The strike is scheduled to start at 4am on Tuesday and finish at 7.10am on Wednesday, the union said.
The airports affected are Frankfurt, Munich, Hamburg, Berlin, Duesseldorf, Cologne and Stuttgart.
Michael Niggemann, the Lufthansa executive board member responsible for human resources, said the strike was unfortunate as the German carrier had made a "far-reaching" offer during talks — which Verdi had rejected — and it would inconvenience customers and staff alike.
A similar strike caused the cancellation of 900 out of 1,000 planned flights at the start of February, affecting about 100,000 passengers.
The ground services arm is among several groups of Lufthansa workers in negotiations over collective bargaining agreements.
Verdi is demanding a wage increase of 12.5% for 25,000 ground staff workers, or at least €500 a month more over a 12-month period, plus a one-off payment of €3,000 to offset inflation.
Germany, Europe’s largest economy, has been hit with a number of nationwide strikes affecting air travel, railways and public transport.
Reuters
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