Germany: Union calls 3-day Lufthansa floor workers strike
Lufthansa floor workers are to go on strike for 3 days starting Wednesday as a wage dispute between the German flag provider airline and commerce unions continues.
The announcement by the commerce union Verdi comes simply seven days after the final one-day floor personnel strike on February 20.
Since then, Lufthansa has made one other “improved” provide, based on head of human sources Michael Niggemann, which included bringing ahead the primary of two wage will increase from December to March this yr and a faster pay-out of a €3,000 inflation compensation bonus.
But Verdi has once more rejected the provide as “insufficient,” repeating its calls for for both a 12.5% improve or a minimal month-to-month improve of €500, whichever is larger.
A fifith spherical of talks is scheduled for March 13 and 14.
Verdi: Passengers shouldn’t be affected
Accusing Lufthansa of failing to enter into mediation, the union says it’s deliberately hanging in such a method in order to not disrupt passengers — however it stated that this might change in future ought to calls for not be met.
“In our first step, we are responding to the employer’s attempt to ride this out by not disrupting passangers,” chief negotiator Marvin Reschinsky stated, with out explaining exactly how this may be achieved.
“However, should this irresponsible behavior from Lufthansa continue, we regret that passengers will also soon be affected again by strikes. It’s in Lufthansa’s hands to prevent that.”
The newest strike comes amid a wave of commercial motion throughout Germany, together with on the railways. Coinciding with the most recent Lufthansa strike, native public transport staff within the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia are additionally set to strike on Thursday and Friday this week.
How are the strikes affecting the German economic system?
Germany’s central financial institution, the Bundesbank, has cited the strikes as one potential issue within the nation’s GDP contracting by 0.3% year-on-year within the last quarter of 2023 and shrinking over your complete yr mixed.
Ahead of Lufthansa’s final strike on February 20, the Bundesbank stated it may “not be ruled out that the various strikes, among other places in areas like rail and air travel, reduce productivity.”
The German authorities final week drastically downgraded its development forecast for 2024.
mf/msh (AFP, dpa)
