At Frankfurt Airport alone, more than 1,000 planned flights remain on the ground because of the warning strike. The airline can hardly help stranded passengers at the airport. Union and airline blame each other for the dilemma.
Because of the Verdi warning strike at Lufthansa, numerous passengers are stranded at Frankfurt Airport, among other places. At the largest German airport, 725 of 1,160 planned flights were canceled on Wednesday, according to a spokesman for the operator Fraport. This also affects flights from other companies, which are usually looked after by Lufthansa ground staff.
The union and the airline hold each other responsible for the current situation. Lufthansa spokesman Martin Leutke describes the warning strike on ntv as "unnecessary and excessive". The company finally submitted a substantial offer that could have been discussed further. However, Verdi decided to carry out the conflict on the backs of the passengers.
"There was no need for such a strike." Finally, the offer is worth seeing. We want to come to an agreement and an agreement is also possible. According to Leutke, there is an offer on the table that will increase gross wages by more than ten percent a month up to €3,000, and six percent at €6,500 over the next twelve months. In view of this high offer, the warning strike in the middle of the main travel season is no longer proportionate.
In an interview with ntv, Verdi business secretary André Bill admits that the timing of the strike was not necessarily happy. "But the other side made us such a weak counter-offer that we felt compelled to take this measure because we were obviously not being taken seriously," says Bill. It was also not possible to wait for the third round of collective bargaining because the tolerance among employees is now very low. With regard to the past two years, one has to see that the massive downsizing has led to a permanent state of siege at the airport.
Lufthansa is currently trying to find the best possible alternative travel options for all passengers whose holiday dreams were destroyed by the Verdi strike. "But that's relatively difficult and challenging at the moment," says Leutke. The day before, Lufthansa had asked passengers to contact the company digitally if possible in order to organize new flights or temporary accommodation. The airline can currently hardly help at the airport. Because of the mostly heavily booked flights, it is very difficult to find alternative travel options in the coming days. In individual cases, guests may have to wait several days for their onward flight.
According to Leutke, Lufthansa is trying everything so that when the strike ends tomorrow at 6 a.m., flight operations can largely resume as normal. "Today we are doing everything we can to get crews and aircraft there so that this very complex flight operation can start again. I assume that we will succeed." The Lufthansa spokesman also admitted: It could well be that individual flights will be canceled tomorrow and the day after tomorrow.
The second round of collective bargaining between Lufthansa and Verdi for around 20,000 ground workers was unsuccessful. The union is demanding 9.5 percent more wages and a minimum hourly wage of 13 euros for a twelve-month period. The third round of collective bargaining is scheduled for August 3 in Frankfurt.
