Airport and rail workers have announced walkouts, just days after similar strikes caused disruption across Germany.
Germany will face travel chaos again this week as many of its train and airport workers are set to stage walkouts.
On Monday and Tuesday, the country’s GDL union will go on strike. They represent drivers of both passenger and freight trains. Drivers of freight trains will walk out at 6pm local time on Monday and will be followed by Deutsche Bahn’s passengers train drivers at 2am on Tuesday.
Elsewhere, Lufthansa’s cabin crew union’s strike will cause disruption at two of Germany’s busiest airports, Frankfurt and Munich.
Slated to take place on Tuesday and Wednesday, the walkout will affect both Lufthansa and its low-cost subsidiary, Cityline.
The strikes hitting both the rail and aviation networks in Germany come hot on the heels of recent, similarly disruptive strikes in the country.
Why are Germany’s train drivers striking?
The GDL has called for new industrial action as part of a long and bitter dispute with the state-owned main railway operator over working hours and pay.
The walkout was announced on Sunday evening – in keeping with a union announcement last week that it would no longer give a 48 hour notice before striking.
It follows a 1.5-day walkout last week which did not get a resolution for either side.
GDL is demanding for working hours to be reduced from 38 to 35 hours per week without a pay cut.
Across weeks of talks between the two sides, moderators have suggested a reduction from 38 to 36 hours by 2028 – but that proposal didn’t satisfy the union.
They demanded a new offer by Sunday evening, which wasn’t forthcoming.
The country’s transport minister has criticised the action.
Volker Wissing told the Bild newspaper, “Striking instead of negotiating is irresponsible.”
The minister also pressed GDL to resume talks and said formal arbitration proceedings must be launched.
GDL chairman Claus Weselsky “is overstepping the mark further and further,” Wissing added.
Not all regional train services in Germany will be affected by the dispute with Deutsche Bahn, however, as some are run by private operators.
Which airports in Germany will be affected by strikes?
Frankfurt and Munich, two of Germany’s busiest airports, are set to be plunged into chaos on Tuesday and Wednesday after The Independent Flight Attendants Organisation (UFO) called for fresh walkouts.
Lufthansa says around 100,000 travellers are likely to be affected – and the German union’s announcement comes days after the airline announced record profits for 2023.
ADVERTISEMENTThe strike will have a knock-on effect on all departures out of Frankfurt airport on Tuesday and all flights out of Munich on Wednesday, from 4am to 11pm.
Passengers travelling with Lufthansa and its partner Cityline will face disruption, the union says.
Why are Lufthansa’s cabin crew walking out?
The UFO is calling for a 15 per cent pay increase and a €3,000 inflation compensation payment. If given the go-ahead, it would benefit its 18,000 members with Lufthansa and 1,000 members at Cityline.
The union says more than 96 per cent of its members voted in favour of strike action.
Last week, Lufthansa announced its profits had doubled in 2023 to €1.67bn from the previous year.
ADVERTISEMENTUFO claim cabin crew have not yet seen any benefit from these increased profits.
This week’s strikes come following similar walkouts last Thursday and Friday.
Around 200,000 passengers were affected by delays and cancellations after Lufthansa’s ground staff in Germany went on strike.
Led by the Ver.di union, the 25,000 ground staff members have demanded a 12.5 per cent pay rise – or at least €500 more per month – as well as an inflation compensation bonus.
Lufthansa rebutted this proposal and offered to increase pay by at least 10 per cent.
ADVERTISEMENTVer.di, though, declined the offer, saying it wasn’t enough – and that ground staff barely earned the minimum wage despite the airline’s huge profits.
How to find out if your Lufthansa flight is cancelled
In a statement, Lufthansa say: “Passengers who will be affected by an irregularity will receive information about cancellations and rebooking options by email or in the Lufthansa app.”
Ensure that the contact details on your booking are up to date so that the airline can easily contact you.
They advise passengers to check this page on their website for updates.
You can also keep eye on Lufthansa’s X account for further updates.
ADVERTISEMENTIf contacting Lufthansa via X, formerly Twitter, you should be aware of a statement the airline has issued:
“Please watch out for fake accounts that appear to be Lufthansa or Lufthansa staff, claiming to be able to assist you.
Always check that the reply is from one of the official Lufthansa accounts found here http://ti.lh.com/9eMB and be advised that we do not offer assistance via WhatsApp despite the claim of fake user profiles. If you wish to seek assistance you can do so via the following page http://ti.lh.com/Mcbe.”
Lufthansa strike: Can you get a refund?
Lufthansa have said: “Flights that have been canceled due to the strike can be rebooked free of charge at http://lufthansa.com, in the Lufthansa app or via the service centres.”
They also say: “Due to the strike, the rebooking desks are unfortunately not staffed.”
ADVERTISEMENTIf your flight is domestic, you can get a voucher for an equivalent train journey via the Lufthansa website.
Under EU rules, you are entitled to a full refund if your flight is cancelled.
Source: Euro News
