Germany airports witnessed several flight cancellations and disruptions when the ground staff of Lufthansa went on a day’s strike. The walkout was to draw attention to their demand for a wage increment. Needless to say that Lufthansa had to cancel at least 80 per cent of its 1,000 flights, impacting over a lakh passengers.
Verdi is demanding a wage hike of 12.5 per cent for staff, or a minimum payment of $537 more per month over a period of 12 months. Additionally, it is also seeking a one-time payment of about $3,000 to tackle the impact of inflation.
The trade union, Verdi, representing the employees has said that it would consider extending the strike if the board of Lufthansa does not fulfil the demands of the ground staff. Last month, the airline put forward an offer post negotiations with the staff, which was rejected by the employees. They want the offer to be improved further.
Last week, the security personnel at the airports across the country had gone on strike under the aegis of Verdi.
Lufthansa employees at Frankfurt and Munich airports may disrupt work for over a day, with just about 10 to 20 per cent of flights operating from these two places.
Germany has been witnessing frequent strikes by disgruntled railway employees too over the past year.
