Strikes in Germany: Travel chaos as Lufthansa staff and train drivers to strike this week amid pay dispute

Thousands of flights and trains are expected to be cancelled again this week in Germany after more strikes have been called. Ground staff of German airline Lufthansa have called for a three-day walkout starting on Wednesday (7 March) and ending on Friday (8 March).

The announcement by the trade union Verdi comes just seven days after the last one-day ground personnel strike on 20 February 20. Since then, Lufthansa has made another "improved" offer, according to head of human resources Michael Niggemann, which included bringing forward the first of two wage increases from December to March this year and a quicker pay-out of a €3,000 inflation compensation bonus.

But Verdi has again rejected the offer as "insufficient," repeating its demands for either a 12.5% increase or a minimum monthly increase of €500, whichever is higher. A fifth round of talks is scheduled for 13 and 14 March.

Around 200,000 air passengers will be affected by the strike, according to an initial estimate by the Lufthansa Group, meaning that around 1,000 flights per day will be cancelled. Lufthansa warned that Verdi’s latest strike would lead to “extensive effects” on its flights. The airline said in a statement: “Passengers who will be affected by an irregularity will receive information about cancellations and rebooking options by email or in the Lufthansa app.”

The latest strike comes amid a wave of industrial action across Germany, including on the railways. The GDL train drivers union announced on Monday (4 March) that a strike will take place this week after negotiations with Deutsche Bahn over higher pay and a shorter work week broke down. The first strike will last for 35 hours and begin at 1700 GMT on Wednesday (6 March) for cargo services and at 0100 GMT on Thursday (7 March) for rail passengers.

The GDL has been calling for working hours to be reduced from 38 to 35 per week without a pay cut, which Deutsche Bahn has refused. The planned strike comes after GDL’s last national rail strike in late January. It was forced to end prematurely due to a German economic slowdown that led to pressure on GDL to return to the negotiating table.