Lufthansa strike hits air travel as German disruption mounts
A traveler looks at an information board on the day of a strike by Lufthansa ground staff in Frankfurt, Germany, Feb 7, 2024. REUTERS/Maximilian Schwarz
BERLIN —Ground staff at German airline Lufthansa walked out at major airports on Wednesday, raising the pressure in wage talks and piling misery on travelers in Europe’s biggest economy already hit by strikes on railways and public transport.
Some 100,000 passengers will be affected by the industrial action, which started at 4 a.m. (0300 GMT) and is due to run until 7:10 a.m. on Thursday, the national carrier has said.
The Verdi union has targeted the Frankfurt and Munich airports, where Lufthansa says only 10 percent-20 percent of flights will operate, as well as Berlin, Hamburg and Duesseldorf.
Verdi wants a wage rise of 12.5 percent for some 25,000 workers, or at least 500 euros ($537.00) more per month over a 12-month-period, plus a one-time payment of 3,000 euros to offset inflation.
READ: Largest strike in decades leaves Germany at a standstill
A wave of nationwide industrial action in the last few weeks has hit air travel, railways and public transport, inflicting pain on the economy and fueling discontent with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s awkward three-way coalition.
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