Traveling to, from, or through Germany by air and rail can feel like playing roulette, especially this week as many Lufthansa group members will stop working on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Over 100,000 passengers will face canceled flights on Tuesday and Wednesday morning due to a strike affecting Lufthansa and its partner airlines.
The strike includes ground services at airports in Frankfurt, Munich, Hamburg, Berlin, Duesseldorf, Cologne-Bonn, and Stuttgart.
The service union Ver.di has called on Lufthansa ground staff to strike from 4 a.m. on Tuesday until 7:10 a.m. on Wednesday. Lufthansa’s Human Resources Director Michael Niggemann expressed concern over the strike, stating that it would disproportionately affect both passengers and employees.
Last week, Lufthansa made an improved offer in the tariff dispute with its union, which the union rejected, demanding a higher salary increase and more benefits for its employees.
The airline is currently working on a new flight plan, which will be published soon. The union is asking for a 12.5% salary increase and a minimum of 500 euros per month for the 25,000 Lufthansa employees on the ground, while Lufthansa is offering a 10% increase in the next 12 months.
Negotiations between the parties are set to continue on Wednesday, regarding the inflation compensation premiums and various surcharges.
