Lufthansa votes for first strike in 13 years

A pay strike by ground crew and cabin staff at Deutsche Lufthansa is expected to cause disruption at two international airports in Germany today after a key union voted overwhelmingly to walk off the job.

The Verdi union, which represents 52,000 air industry workers, plans to start striking at midnight (2200 GMT) - focusing initially on the country's largest airport in Frankfurt and the north German hub of Hamburg.

Union officials said the unlimited strike, the first in 13 years at Lufthansa, would affect all support areas - from catering and cargo to maintenance and repair staff. Some 91 per cent of union members voted to strike, Verdi has said.

"Our strike is not aimed at passengers - our goal is to put financial pressure on the company," said Verdi spokesman Harald Reutter yesterday in comments aimed at defusing public anger. "It's up to Lufthansa to decide how many flights are cancelled."

Earlier Verdi had been vague about where the strikes would start. The union plans walkouts at Germany's 10 largest airports - Frankfurt, Munich, Berlin, Hamburg, Duesseldorf, Stuttgart, Nuremberg, Hanover, Leipzig and Bremen.

Verdi, which has lost influence since the last Lufthansa strike in 1994, wants a 9.8 per cent pay rise for one year. Lufthansa, Europe's second biggest airline by passenger numbers, is offering 6.7 per cent over 21 months and a one-off payment.

Lufthansa has said it will have to see where the strikes happen before deciding how many domestic and international flights to cancel. It has said it hopes to juggle non-striking staff to limit the impact of the strike.

"We'll have to wait and see," a Lufthansa spokesman said yesterdaqy. "The top priority is to try to limit the impact to as few passengers as possible."

Facing heavy criticism from political and industry leaders, the union is likely to limit the action to targeted strikes.

One analyst, Frank Skodzik of Commerzbank, was quoted in Der Tagesspiegel newspaper as saying the strike could cost Lufthansa €5 million per day.

Verdi is open to new talks if Lufthansa improves its offer, said union leader Erhard Ott. Wage talks broke down on July 10.

"We've got to do everything we can to prevent this strike," said Klaus Lippold, a member of Parliament and transport expert for the Christian Democrats. "Not only to save the holiday season but to prevent damage to Germany's air travel industry."

Rainer Wend, an economy expert in Parliament for the Social Democrats, also spoke out against the strike.

"Even though one must accept a strike being a tool in a labour dispute, it's still unfortunate that innocent bystanders and holiday travellers will be hurt by the strike more than the union's opponents," Wend told Welt am Sonntag newspaper.

Last week, Lufthansa cancelled almost 1,000 regional flights at its Eurowings and CityLine subsidiaries after pilots walked out in a separate pay dispute.

At a time when Europe's biggest economy is experiencing a spike in inflation, several labour unions are seeking bigger wage deals after restraint in recent years.