Lufthansa ground staff strike may affect more than 100,000 passengers in Germany and beyond
Verdi, the union representing Lufthansa's ground staff, has announced its intention to go on strike in Germany, starting on Wednesday, February 8, and lasting 27 hours. The boycott could result in more than 100,000 passengers facing difficulties during their flights.
According to Simple Flying, Lufthansa has sold 161,485 seats on all flights scheduled for Wednesday. Verdi accuses the airline of making a "completely inadequate offer" to improve pay and working conditions.
About 25,000 Lufthansa employees in Frankfurt, Munich, Hamburg, Berlin and Dusseldorf will take part in the strike.
Marvin Reschinsky, Verdi negotiator, commented, "This strike would have been unnecessary if Lufthansa had given ground workers the same raises as other groups of employees in the group. However, there was no willingness to do so at the negotiating table."
According to him, the airline's ground staff is ready for longer strikes to show the employer the seriousness of their intentions.
Lufthansa told the website that it has offered compensation to employees affected by the strike:
- Inflation-adjusted bonus of €1,000-1,500 ($1,079-1,619) on March 1 and June 1.
- Increase in base remuneration by €200 from September 1.
- Base salary increase of 3% effective April 1, 2025.
- Increase in base salary by 2.5% from April 1, 2026.
- Additional 3% of the budget for other benefits.
"We want and need to be a reliable partner for our customers and find constructive and sustainable solutions together, especially in difficult times. This can only be achieved at the negotiating table. Unfortunately, I cannot recognize this assumption of responsibility by Verdi," Lufthansa said in a statement.
The airline is currently working on a "special flight plan," but given the scale of the strike, it is likely that there will be a significant number of cancelled flights. It also remains unclear whether the minimum flight schedule will be met.