Union Demands Lufthansa Make Better Offer Before Talks

German labor union Verdi demanded that Lufthansa offer a higher wage increase for thousands of the German airline's ground crew before agreeing to a fresh round of pay talks aimed at averting further industrial action, as reported by Vera Eckert for Reuters.

Ground staff walked off the job at major airports on last week in their second strike this month, which Lufthansa said had affected 100,000 passengers. I Photo: Lufthansa Facebook

Ground staff walked off the job at major airports on last week in their second strike this month, which Lufthansa said had affected 100,000 passengers.

The fourth meeting in the dispute over pay for some 25,000 ground staff ended fruitlessly on Thursday, and March 13 or 14 had been penciled in beforehand as the next date for a meeting, but Verdi is now seeking an earlier meeting to speed up a deal.

"Negotiators have asked Lufthansa to gather for a further meeting before March 13," Verdi said in a statement.

"However, the prerequisite for that is a significantly improved offer by the employer, that should be delivered (to us) beforehand."

Germany has been hit by a number of nationwide strikes affecting air travel, railways, and public transport, as workers faced with high inflation demand greater pay.

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