Strike averted as Lufthansa reaches salary deal with ground workers

Just over a week after a strike grounded almost all Lufthansa flights out of German airports, the airline has reached a deal with union representatives concerning salaries for thousands of ground staff. 

German flag carrier airline reaches deal with ground staff

People with travel plans taking them through German airports can rest a little easier, knowing that a second Lufthansa ground staff strike has been averted, after Lufthansa bosses came to an agreement with the ver.di trade union on Thursday.

The two parties agreed to increase basic monthly salaries for 20.000 Lufthansa ground staff by 2,5 percent from January 2023, and then again by another 2,5 percent on July 1, 2023.

The deal comes after ground staff staged a strike on July 27 that entirely paralysed Lufthansa operations in Germany, forcing the carrier to cancel almost all of its flights through German airports and affecting hundreds of thousands of passengers.

Lufthansa pilot strike still looming

However, Thursday’s deal doesn’t mark a total end to the disruption. On Sunday, Lufthansa pilots recently voted in favour of potential industrial action amid an ongoing pay dispute. At the same time, long queues and baggage issues continue to plague airports across Europe, even after the arrival of emergency backup workers.

On Thursday, Lufthansa posted its first net profit since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic - a total of 259 million euros between April and June 2022. The company was bailed out by the German government in 2020 when worldwide travel restrictions knocked demand for flights.