Disruptions in the Lufthansa shipping company due to warning strikes 03/03/24

A warning strike by Lufthansa ground staff caused disruptions at the group's cargo carrier on Saturday.

Marvin Reczynski, Verdi union negotiator, said 2,500 employees were affected, including 2,200 in Frankfurt. The background is a collective bargaining dispute with the company.

According to Verdi, employees who control the loading of machinery at Lufthansa Cargo or are responsible for handling freight are on strike. The operation continued from morning until late evening.

While Verdi spoke of a 90 percent stake, the Frankfurt company stated that it had a stake of about 50 percent. A Munich spokeswoman said their number was smaller. The passengers were not affected. According to the spokeswoman, there was, for example, a halt in acceptance of special shipments due to the warning strike. This applies to animals, for example. We are now trying to clear the backlog as quickly as possible.

Lufthansa Cargo has a fleet of freighter aircraft, mainly the wide-body Boeing 777, but also transports cargo in the belly of passenger aircraft. Due to the strike, many cargo flights were canceled in the previous days. Flights were canceled again on Saturday.

Lufthansa was furious at the warning strike and was particularly critical of Verdi's preconditions for returning to the negotiating table. The group therefore questioned collective bargaining as a whole. The next round is currently scheduled to be held on March 13 and 14. Verdi is only willing to hold early discussions if the offer is increased.

Last week, there was already a warning strike for Lufthansa's technical staff from Wednesday to Friday. Lufthansa Technik is also responsible for the repair and refurbishment of machinery, spare parts and engines for other companies. The airline, which was not on strike, carries out daily maintenance itself, and passengers were not affected by the strike.

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Frankfurt (dpa-AFX)