Strike Cancels Almost Each Lufthansa Flight in Germany

German flag service Lufthansa has canceled 1,023 flights at both its German airport hubs in Frankfurt and Munich on account of a floor workers strike. The cancellations are anticipated to influence 134,000 passengers, with the work stoppage happening initially of the summer season trip season for the southern German states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. The bottom workers union claims its members are overworked and annoyed with a three-year wage freeze.

The strike started early this morning at 3:45am native time and is scheduled to proceed till 6:00am tomorrow. The strike was known as by Verdi, the union which represents 20,000 Lufthansa floor workers, after talks with Lufthansa stalled throughout the second spherical of negotiations. Verdi’s deputy chairwoman Christine Behle told German news outlet Deutsche Welle, “They urgently want extra money and so they want aid, for themselves and for passengers. The employers’ provide shouldn’t be sufficient for that.”

Michael Niggemann, Chief Human Sources Officer and Labor Director of Deutsche Lufthansa AG, said in a statement:

The early escalation of a beforehand constructive collective bargaining spherical is inflicting monumental injury. It impacts our passengers particularly, who’re impacted throughout the peak journey season. And it’s placing a further heavy pressure on our staff in an already tough part for air visitors. In view of our excessive provide with very substantial pay will increase over the subsequent 12 months of greater than 10 p.c extra within the pay teams as much as 3,000 euros month-to-month primary pay and a 6 p.c enhance for a month-to-month primary pay of 6,500 euros, this so-called warning strike in the course of the height summer season journey season is just now not proportionate.

Lufthansa’s provide to extend ground-staff wages shouldn’t be a everlasting elevate — it might solely final 18 months. Verdi is demanding a everlasting 9.5-p.c pay enhance. Negotiations are scheduled to renew subsequent week.

In a message geared toward passengers, Verdi mentioned, “We wish a functioning air visitors with out stress and pressure for our passengers and us staff. Lufthansa has lower too many workers throughout the pandemic.” Like many airways throughout the pandemic, Lufthansa laid off 1000’s of employees and is now struggling to rent replacements because the industrial aviation trade recovers. Over the previous month, the German airline canceled 2,000 flights on account of workers shortages.