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FRANKFURT/MNICH (dpa-AFX) – In the middle of the holiday season, the Verdi union paralyzed Lufthansa with a warning strike by ground staff. After the cancellation of more than 1,000 flights, almost nothing worked at the hubs in Frankfurt and Munich on Wednesday, and around 134,000 passengers had to change their travel plans. While, according to Verdi, around 5,000 employees took part in the campaign and demonstrated for higher salaries, numerous passengers in the terminals feared for their onward flight options.
In Frankfurt, long lines of mostly foreign passengers formed in the morning in front of the sparsely manned rebooking counters. According to a Lufthansa spokeswoman, customers were offered different solutions depending on the flight destination. Extra staff were planned for this task, which remained manageable. In principle, passengers can be rebooked on later Lufthansa flights or other companies, although the free seats were usually scarce.
In individual cases, it could also be that people would have to wait several days before continuing their journey, a Lufthansa spokesman said in the terminal. A British tourist on his way to Singapore says that he is already preparing for a second hotel night in Frankfurt. One couple had not yet received an answer to his questions: “We are literally stranded here. How and when are we going to get to Mexico? I have no idea!”.
Verdi and Lufthansa accused each other of being responsible for the situation. The company deliberately refrained from negotiating again after the warning strike was announced, said Verdi strike leader Marvin Reschinsky. He is now hoping for a quick, good result. “We clearly expect Lufthansa to step up the pace next week so that air traffic can run again.” A high degree is also a sign of relief for existing staff when Lufthansa offers more attractive jobs for newcomers. “They are urgently needed.”
Personnel director Michael Niggemann received a shriek from the Lufthansa administration when he said in front of the protesting Verdi trade unionists: “I think this warning strike is completely unreasonable.” Some of his expressions of respect for the work of the employees were met with scornful laughter, and the mood was heated.
The Verdi negotiator Christine Behle had already declared in the ZDF morning show that there would be no further strike by the ground staff until the next negotiation date next Wednesday (August 3). Verdi rejected a first offer as too low. The union demands 9.5 percent more salary, but at least 350 euros. The parties have given themselves two days for the talks, which alone indicates a certain willingness to come to a conclusion. Regardless of this, a ballot is taking place among the Lufthansa pilots of the Cockpit Association (VC), which would make indefinite strikes possible from August.
The Verdi strike began on Wednesday morning and should last until Thursday, 6 a.m. Lufthansa fears effects until Friday, the last day of school before the summer holidays in Bavaria. However, there were already no more scheduled flight cancellations on Thursday, emphasized Lufthansa. Despite the strike lasting until Thursday, 6 a.m., an attempt will be made to fly as usual at the first knot in the morning.
At the largest German airport in Frankfurt, 725 of 1160 planned flights were canceled on Wednesday, as a spokesman for the operator Fraport reported. This also affected flights from other companies, which are usually looked after by Lufthansa ground staff. In addition to the 646 Lufthansa cancellations, there were also flights from other Group companies such as Swiss, Austria, Brussels and Air Dolomiti. In addition, aircraft from the companies Croatian, United, Air Canada or the Polish LOT could not take off.
The situation was similar in Munich, where Lufthansa itself had canceled 330 flights, but other airlines were also affected. At the smaller airport locations, only the connections to Munich and Frankfurt were mostly canceled. In Dsseldorf, the airport managed to avoid the strike at the Lufthansa subsidiary Leos, whose drivers usually push the planes out of their parking positions. This task was done by other service providers./ceb/skc/DP/nas
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