A strike by Deutsche Lufthansa AG ground staff is set to disrupt more than 100,000 passengers in a blow to the flagship German airline that is facing its third bout of industrial action in almost three weeks, according to Bloomberg.
Labor union Verdi has called on German ground staff to walk out from Tuesday morning for 35 hours following failed negotiations on February 12 over wages for about 25,000 employees across the Lufthansa group. Seven major airports in the country will be affected, including Frankfurt and Munich, which are Lufthansa’s biggest hubs.
The so-called “warning strike” marks another hurdle for Lufthansa which already had to cancel flights on February 1 and February 7 after security staff and ground crews across Germany went on strike. Workers in Germany’s transport sector have taken repeated industrial action over pay and working conditions amid rising inflation and staffing shortages.
Lufthansa expects to only operate as much as 20% of its schedule across the strike days, with more than 100,000 travelers impacted. The biggest impact will be on Tuesday. The airline plans to implement a special flight plan, a spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
The strike will cause “a disproportionate burden on both our guests and our colleagues,” said Michael Niggemann, Lufthansa’s chief human resources officer, in the statement. “This is not the way to fulfill our shared responsibility.”
Verdi has demanded a 12.5% pay rise and an additional €3,000 ($3,232) inflation bonus for ground crew. Lufthansa said it has presented a “significantly improved offer” that includes a 10% wage hike over 12 months and inflation adjustment bonuses totaling €3,000.
Verdi said it was expecting good participation in the strike and numerous employees had joined the union over the past weeks. The next round of negotiations was scheduled for Wednesday following the strike, which ends at 7:10 a.m. CET.