New strikes at airports are imminent: Verdi is calling for ground staff to stop work.
Passengers will also be affected again by the next Verdi warning strike at Lufthansa. The union has called on ground staff to go on strike on Thursday and Friday this week, it announced on Monday.
The strike is scheduled to begin in passenger areas on Thursday at 4:00 a.m. and end on Saturday at 7:10 a.m. In the ongoing collective bargaining dispute for around 25,000 ground workers, there have already been two waves of warning strikes, each of which paralyzed passenger traffic for around a day.
Last week, Verdi went on strike at Lufthansa parts of the company’s technology and cargo handling departments in order to force an improved offer from the company. So far the next round is scheduled for March 13th and 14th. Verdi is only willing to hold earlier discussions if the offer is increased.
According to Verdi, employees who control the loading of machines at Lufthansa Cargo or are responsible for handling freight went on strike on Saturday. According to a Lufthansa spokeswoman, there were, for example, acceptance stops for special cargo due to the warning strike. We are now trying to clear the backlog as quickly as possible.
Lufthansa is outraged by further warning strikes
Lufthansa had expressed outrage at the continued warning strikes and particularly criticized Verdi’s preconditions for returning to the negotiating table. The group therefore questioned the collective bargaining as a whole.
Verdi negotiator Marvin Reschinsky regretted the impact on passengers in a statement: “In the past few days we have deliberately skipped passenger traffic with our strikes. However, by ignoring our request to negotiate, Lufthansa is telling us that it will only move if the pressure continues “The passengers urgently need solutions and reliability. The employees and we are ready to make this happen with a serious offer.”
Verdi had demanded 12.5 percent more money and an inflation compensation bonus with a term of one year. Lufthansa has so far offered 10 percent higher salaries for a 28-month contract.