FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Germany’s Verdi union on Saturday demanded Lufthansa offer higher pay rises to thousands of the German airline’s ground staff before it agrees to a new round of wage talks aimed at preventing further strikes.
Ground staff walked off the job at major airports on Tuesday in a second strike this month that Lufthansa said affected 100,000 passengers.
A fourth meeting in the dispute over the wages of some 25,000 ground staff ended inconclusive on Thursday and March 13 or 14 had been tentatively set as the next meeting date, but Verdi is now seeking an earlier meeting to speed up the deal.
“The negotiators have asked Lufthansa to meet again by March 13,” Verdi said in a statement. “However, a prerequisite for this is a significantly improved employer offer, which must be delivered (to us) in advance.”
The media services company handling Lufthansa’s corporate communications over the weekend did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Germany has been hit by a series of nationwide strikes affecting airlines, railways and public transport as workers facing high inflation demand higher wages.
Employers have asked for a general cooling-off period, prioritizing negotiations and more arbitration as strikes harm customers and jobs in the industry.
Verdi said Lufthansa made only two amendments to its original proposal on January 21 and 22, describing the points as just “small concessions.” Lufthansa also extended the validity of the proposed new pay structure by three months to 28 months, Verdi said.
Verdi is demanding a wage increase of 12.5%, or at least 500 euros ($541) per month over a 12-month period, as well as a lump sum payment of 3,000 euros.
($1 = 0.9244 euros)