Germany: Lufthansa ground staff strike, hundreds of flights canceled

More than 1,000 flights in Germany were canceled Wednesday affecting some 134,000 passengers as Lufthansa ground staff went on strike.

At Frankfurt airport, more than 600 flights were canceled and many posts were unfilled as workers walked from the job.  Munich, another big Lufthansa hub, was also by the strike, with flights from Berlin, Bremen, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Hannover and Stuttgart were also affected.

The Lufthansa strike is the latest disruption to air travel during this busy summer season. The strike had ripple effects for other airlines reliant on Lufthansa ground crew that assist with their flights.

Summer of air travel chaos

Many airlines, including Lufthansa, had already been forced to cancel thousands of flights due to strikes and staff shortages. Hours-long queues have been reported at numerous European airports for check-in and security, prompting passenger complaints as many of them return to air travel for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began in early 2020.

The labor union Verdi called for the walkouthoping to see a 9.5% pay increase for about 20,000 workers. The strike is scheduled to last until early Thursday at 6 a.m. (400 GMT) local time.The organization also warned further strikes could take place until their demands are met.

Lufthansa called the chaos “a sad day” for those who were unable to catch flights for holidays due to the strike. The German carrier called the walkout unnecessary and said it was not proportionate to the status of negotiations.

What is the status of the talks with the ground staff?

The union and the airline have held two rounds of talks so far over wages while a third round is scheduled for early August. So far, the airline has only conceded about half of the union’s demands regarding wage increases.

However, the union has rejected the airline’s offer and said it is not enough to keep apace with Germany’s inflation. 

“Should Lufthansa be stubborn next week and not improve its offer, we will consider further consequences for industrial action. Strikes would not be ruled out.” Verdi representative Marvin Reschinsky said.

ar/dj (AP, dpa, Reuters)

Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/germany-lufthansa-ground-staff-strike-hundreds-of-flights-canceled/a-62610242?maca=en-rss-en-ger-1023-xml-atom