Lufthansa strikes cancel more than 1K flights

Roughly 1,023 Lufthansa-operated passenger flights to and from Frankfurt Airport (FRA) and Munich Airport (MUC) have been canceled in anticipation of labor strikes from Lufthansa’s ground workers. The all-day warning strike, which was called by the United Services Union (ver.di), is set to begin at 3:45 a.m. on Wednesday and is expected to end at 6 a.m. on Thursday, according to Monday’s release from the German trade union. Employers on July 13 submitted three variations of an offer that did not compensate for inflation and asked for more flexible work hours, which would prove to be a financial loss for employees in terms of wages, ver.di Deputy Chairwoman Christine Behle said in the statement. In turn, the strike is intended to increase the pressure on Lufthansa to submit an improved offer in the final negotiation round following the July 13 offer, which was reviewed and deemed “insufficient” by ver.di members, according to the union statement. [caption id="attachment_94867" align="alignright" width="460"] Boeing 777 LH Cargo Kennung ALFF New Livery[/caption] "The situation at the airports is escalating; the overburdening of employees due to a significant shortage in staff, high inflation and a three-year wage cut would put the employees under increasing pressure,” Behle said in the release. “They urgently need more money, and they need relief — for themselves and for the passengers. The employer’s offer is not sufficient for this.” During the recent round of negotiations, Lufthansa offered an increase in basic pay of 150 euros per month (US $152), effective July 1; further basic pay increases of roughly $101, effective January 1, 2023; a 2% increase in compensation as of July 1, 2023; and a wage increase of around $13 per hour, effective Oct. 1, according to Lufthansa. Meanwhile ver.di members demanded a 9.5% increase in salary — or at least $354 — with a term of 12 months, with an hourly wage of respective employee groups of at least $13, according to ver.di. Current hourly wages are less than $12. The "main issue here is that they want the raise of the wages to depend on their business success, which we cannot accept," Ute Fritzel, ver.di spokeswoman for the state district, told Air Cargo World . "If the next negotiations won't end up in an agreement, we have to seriously think about further strikes." The next round of negotiations is set for Aug. 3-4 in Frankfurt, according to ver.di. Impacted flights Affected passenger flights have been rebooked where possible, according to today’s release from Lufthansa. “Shipments booked to be transported during the strike period as belly cargo will be rebooked,” a Lufthansa spokesperson told Air Cargo World . “Lufthansa Cargo’s freighter connections are expected to operate as scheduled, provided no operational adjustments become necessary at short notice.” Although the strike is set to end Thursday morning, Lufthansa noted that there may be individual flight cancellations or delays until Friday. As of today, most Lufthansa flights to and from both airports appear to be on schedule for Thursday, except for a handful that have been canceled, according to flight-tracking software. At FRA, 32 flights were canceled today with an additional 646 cancellations Wednesday, according to Lufthansa’s statement. There will be a total of 345 cancellations at MUC, 15 of which have already been canceled today. Lufthansa is currently taking measures to avoid freighter delays or flight cancellations; however, it is “currently difficult to estimate how many of our ground employees at Lufthansa Cargo will respond to the strike call,” the spokesperson said. Considering that it is now peak travel season, the carrier has expressed its frustration with the timing of the strike, as Lufthansa expects nearly 134,000 passengers will be impacted. “The early escalation of a previously constructive collective bargaining round is causing enormous damage,” Chief Human Resources Officer and Labor Director of Deutsche Lufthansa AG Michael Niggemann said in the statement. “It affects our passengers in particular … and is putting an additional heavy strain on our employees in an already difficult phase for air traffic.” Ongoing labor challenges FRA, among other European airport hubs, has been struggling to accommodate the sudden surge in passenger travel this summer, leading airports to implement capacity caps to help manage congestion challenges and labor shortages. Lufthansa has been also facing freighter disruptions at FRA due to ground handling shortages and even implemented temporary embargoes on certain shipments in early July . Shortly after, the carrier began re-routing freighters from FRA to MUC as FRA continued to face ground handling challenges. FRA isn’t the only airport that has faced labor strikes in recent months. For instance, in June labor unions representing airport workers at Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) staged a one-day strike , demanding a pay increase and better working conditions. The CDG strike led to roughly 100 canceled flights. Meanwhile in North America, fuelers at Swissport Canada at Vancouver International Airport (YVR) also prepared to strike following contract negotiations in February. FRA reported a 11.2% year-over-year decrease in airfreight traffic in the first half of 2022, according to the airport’s latest traffic statistics. The airport handled roughly 167,771 tonnes of cargo in June, down 11.8% YoY. FRA ranked No. 14 in Air Cargo World ’s most recent Top 50 Cargo Airports ranking, based on 2020 throughput. Meanwhile MUC handled roughly 21,486 tonnes of cargo in June, up 77% YoY, according to airport statistics. This story has been updated with comments from ver.di.

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