FRANKFURT (Reuters) – German airline Lufthansa said on Sunday it was interested in moving forward with wage negotiations for thousands of ground crew after union Verdi demanded the company raise wages to prevent new strikes.
“We have taken note of Verdi’s statements and remain committed to reaching an agreement quickly,” a company spokesman said in a written response to an inquiry.
Ground staff walked off the job at major airports on Tuesday in a second strike this month that Lufthansa said affected 100,000 passengers.
A fourth meeting over a dispute over the wages of some 25,000 ground staff ended Thursday without a result. The next meeting date was pre-scheduled for March 13 or 14.
But Verdi said on Saturday he was now seeking an earlier meeting to speed up a deal. “The negotiators asked Lufthansa to meet for the next meeting by March 13,” the statement said.
“However, a prerequisite for this is a significantly improved employer offer, which must be delivered (to us) in advance.”
Verdi said Lufthansa made only two amendments to its original proposal on January 21 and 22, calling the points “small concessions.” Lufthansa also extended the validity of the proposed new pay structure by three months to 28 months, Verdi said.
Verdi is demanding a wage increase of 12.5%, or at least 500 euros ($541) per month over a 12-month period, as well as a lump sum payment of 3,000 euros.
($1 = 0.9244 euros)