Further delays and cancellations to be expected in European skies on Wednesday July 27. One of the main unions of the Lufthansa airline on Monday called ground staff to a strike in the context of a dispute over wages, announcing “many delays and cancellations” in an already tense period for aviation in Europe.
The Verdi union launched this call for the period running from 3:45 a.m. Wednesday to Thursday 6 a.m. “to increase the pressure” on management as he demands a 9.5% wage increase, according to a statement.
The first European air transport group has not detailed at this stage the consequences that this strike will have for passengers, at a time when travelers are already faced with long waits in airports and series cancellations of flights, due to a lack of personnel affecting the airline sector.
Nearly 6,000 flights already canceled this summer by the company
The German company has already canceled some 6,000 flights this summer, while the first German airport, in Frankfurt, intends to reduce the schedule for “further stabilize air operations”severely disrupted for holiday departures.
On Wednesday, the strike will concern ground employees, particularly in maintenance, but also drivers of aircraft towing vehicles, essential to the proper functioning of the airport.
“The situation at the airports is degenerating and employees are increasingly under pressure and overworked due to a severe lack of staff, high inflation and the absence of a raise for three years”, notes Christine Behle, vice-president of the union. More than 7,000 employees are currently missing in the German airline sector, according to a study by the German Economic Institute (IW) published at the end of June.
Since the lifting of health restrictions at the start of the year, airlines and airports have struggled to meet the sharply rising demand after two years of slow traffic due to the Covid-19 crisis, during which the sector lost many employees.
In France, two agreements aimed at raising all minimum wages in air transport and simplifying the sector’s classification grid were signed by the social partners on Wednesday 20 July.