Strikes are planned for next Tuesday and Wednesday in Frankfurt and Munich.
Summary
- UFO calls for strike due to failed negotiations with Lufthansa over remuneration demands. Rallies expected in Frankfurt and Munich.
- Negotiations ongoing since January, with little progress made. Strikes now being used as a last resort by flight attendants.
- Lufthansa’s profitable 2023 results in tensions with unions demanding fair compensations for cabin crews.
The Independent Flight Attendant Organization (Unabhängigen Flugbegleiter Organization, UFO), which represents cabin crew from Lufthansa and Lufthansa CityLine, is calling for a strike on March 12th and 13th next week. They will be accompanied by rallies at Lufthansa hubs in Frankfurt and Munich, and over 19,000 flight attendants are expected to be on strike.
A word from UFO
According to the union, the strike was the result of the failed negotiations between Lufthansa and the union regarding its demand for remuneration. The union quoted the carrier’s strong performance and inflation as the primary reasons behind its demands, and they expressed their disappointment with the airline.
Harry Jaeger, head of collective bargaining policy and negotiator at UFO, said,
«There were countless opportunities for Lufthansa to abandon or at least correct ‘red lines’ in order to clear the way for a good solution. Well, after 15 rounds without agreement, we unfortunately have to assume that the management wants to escalate things at the expense of the passengers.»
The negotiation has been going on for some time, with reports of the talks first emerging in January, when UFO called for a 15% pay increase for cabin crews at Lufthansa CityLine. Peace obligation for the cabin crews ended in December last year, but the union continued negotiations in January. However, little progress has been made, and strikes are being used as a ‘last resort.’
Photo: Kevin Hackert | Shutterstock
According to the strike calls put out by the airlines, the strikes will affect all Lufthansa and Lufthansa CityLine flights departing from Frankfurt Airport on Tuesday, March 12th, from 4:00 local time to 23:00, and all flights departing Munich Airport on Wednesday, March 13th, from 4:00 local time to 23:00.
Another week, another strike
Lufthansa’s ground handling workers were on strike from March 7th to March 9th, which resulted in the cancellation of most Lufthansa flights on those dates. A security worker strike was also happening concurrently in Frankfurt and Hamburg, further impacting normal operations.
Photo: Martin Furtivo | Shutterstock
This follows the cancelation of over 1,000 flights due to a ground staff strike between February 7th and 8th and another security worker strike by Verdi in the first week of February. The strike next week will likely see Lufthansa significantly trimming its schedule again, especially at its two hubs in Munich and Frankfurt.
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The ground handling employee strike significantly impacted the airline’s schedule on March 7 and March 8.
Lufthansa had a profitable 2023
In 2023, Lufthansa Group had its best summer, posting a €1.19 billion ($1.265 billion) net profit in the third quarter. 2023 also marked the first time that every airline in the Lufthansa Group was profitable, with a total net profit in 2023 of €1.6 billion ($1.7 billion), more than double compared to 2022.
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1st Time Ever: All Lufthansa Airlines Were Profitable In 2023
The Lufthansa Group indicated that it would still not be able to reach its 2019 capacity in 2024.
As a result of the high profit level, the airline is looking to give out dividends to its shareholders, pending approval at the Annual General Meeting. The group’s CEO, Carsten Spohr, also pointed out that salaries have been increased after several labor agreements, and it will continue its profit-sharing scheme.
However, the conflict between the unions and the airline reflects the dissatisfaction among Lufthansa employees regarding sharing its success in 2023.
Joachim Vázquez Bürger, chairman of the UFO board, explained,
«The company (Lufthansa) announced a record net profit of almost 1.7 billion euros – the third best in the company’s history. Especially against this background, our demands seem appropriate and fair. The cabin crews must now also share this success, and the concessions made during the Corona crisis must be adequately compensated.»
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