From Wednesday to Friday
Verdi calls on Lufthansa ground staff to go on warning strike again
February 27, 2024, 6:09 p.m
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The collective bargaining dispute between Verdi and Lufthansa over the working conditions of ground staff is still ongoing. The company does present a new offer, but that is not enough for the union. Now there is a threat of another warning strike.
Lufthansa passengers will have to prepare for numerous flight cancellations in Germany starting this Wednesday. The Verdi union has called on ground staff to go on a three-day strike until Friday. The work stoppage in the collective bargaining dispute affects employees and trainees at Lufthansa Technik, Lufthansa Aviation Training and Lufthansa Technical Training, Verdi said. Employees of Lufthansa Technik Logistik and Lufthansa Technik Logistik Services would join the work stoppage at different times depending on the location.
So far, Verdi has led two warning strikes lasting more than a day during the conflict, during which several hundred flights were canceled each time. Verdi recently rejected a new offer from Lufthansa as inadequate after two days of collective bargaining. Lufthansa made this proposal after the latest wave of warning strikes by ground staff.
Just small improvements
“We have once again taken a big step towards Verdi and presented a new, even improved offer,” Human Resources Director Michael Niggemann recently announced. In detail, the first of two planned table increases of 4 percent would be brought forward from December 2024 to March of this year. In addition, the inflation compensation bonus of 3,000 euros should be paid out more quickly.
Verdi has now announced that the group has essentially only improved its offer in two areas: the zero months that still exist in the new offer have been reduced, and the sustainable salary increase has been improved by 0.5 percent. At the same time, Lufthansa extended the term of its offer again by three months to a total of 28 months. The union criticized the core demand of 12.5 percent set by Verdi, but at least 500 euros more per month, not being achieved in the new offer, which is more than twice as long as the demand. The already agreed fifth hearing date will take place on March 13th and 14th.