The lines between the Lufthansa Group and the Verdi union have hardened considerably in the current wage dispute. After five days of intensive negotiations, the airline group presented its first concrete wage offer, which was immediately rejected by the employees as insufficient. In response to the lack of a breakthrough at the negotiating table, Verdi has initiated a binding strike vote among the approximately 20.000 ground staff.
This process, running from March 4th to 18th, 2026, serves as direct leverage and paves the way for widespread labor disputes. While the company is hoping for a negotiated agreement, the union sees the risk of declining real wages and criticizes unequal treatment across the various group companies. The situation is further complicated by parallel wage disputes at other subsidiaries and demands from the pilots' union Cockpit, significantly increasing the risk of widespread flight disruption in the spring of 2026.
Details of the rejected employer offer
The Lufthansa Group's first written offer proposes a tiered compensation structure, which varies depending on the group company. For 2026, the group proposes a one-time payment of 1,8 percent, which is explicitly not intended to apply to employees of Deutsche Lufthansa AG (DLH AG). Only from January 1, 2027, is a permanent increase in base salaries of two percent planned for almost all employee groups. The core brand, DLH AG, is again an exception: its employees are to receive a further one-time payment of two percent instead, without any permanent increase in their base salaries.
The planned 29-month term of the collective bargaining agreement is being sharply criticized by the Verdi union. The company's negotiating committee considers the offered one-off payments ineffective against long-term inflation. Since these payments will not be permanently incorporated into salary scales, the basis for future increases will remain low, leading to a noticeable real wage loss over the entire term of the agreement. Verdi is demanding instead a sustainable wage increase of six percent, but at least €250 per month, to strengthen the position of lower-income earners in particular.
Structural critique and the protection of ground stations
Beyond the purely monetary aspect, fundamental structural issues are at the heart of the dispute. A key point of the union's criticism is the corporation's unwillingness to negotiate protection against outsourcing for the ground stations of Deutsche Lufthansa AG. Verdi fears that work areas at check-in or aircraft handling could be outsourced to lower-cost subsidiaries or external service providers. The union considers such a protection mechanism essential for long-term job security.
Furthermore, Verdi is demanding improvements to the compensation structure of the specialized subsidiaries. At Lufthansa Technik, they are calling for faster salary increases to maintain the company's attractiveness to skilled workers. Another point of contention is the so-called second pay scale at Lufthansa Cargo. Here, the union is demanding the abolition of a two-tier pay system to achieve equal treatment for all employees in the cargo sector. Since the employer has not yet submitted an offer addressing these key demands, Verdi sees no basis for continuing negotiations without additional pressure.
The strike vote as an instrument of escalation
The initiated strike vote differs from a traditional membership ballot in that it explicitly includes employees who are not union members. Verdi aims to obtain a comprehensive picture of the entire workforce's sentiment. Should voter turnout in the affected sectors exceed 50 percent and a clear majority vote in favor of industrial action, the union considers itself authorized to launch an indefinite strike.
This move is being viewed critically by the sectoral union Agil, which also represents some ground staff. Agil accuses Verdi of taking an overly confrontational approach that could jeopardize the company's financial stability. Nevertheless, Verdi is the dominant force in the negotiations for ground staff. Since the affected occupational groups in engineering, service, and logistics are crucial to operations, strikes could lead to massive disruptions in flight operations as soon as the voting deadline in mid-March.
Multi-conflict situation within the Lufthansa Group
The wage negotiations for ground staff are taking place amidst unrest in other parts of the Lufthansa Group. At the newly formed subsidiary, Lufthansa City Airlines, negotiations are currently underway with the Verdi union regarding the first-ever collective bargaining agreements for cockpit and cabin crew. The union is demanding that working conditions be aligned with those of the core company to prevent pay cuts within the group.
At the same time, tensions are escalating at the subsidiary Eurowings. There, the pilots' union Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) has initiated its own strike action after negotiations on the company pension scheme for pilots were deemed to have failed. The pilots are demanding a return to more secure pension models, a demand that management has so far rejected, citing the need for cost reduction. At Lufthansa CityLine, too, the path to industrial action is now open following a successful vote by the pilots.
Reactions and outlook for the coming weeks
The Lufthansa Group is officially remaining reserved. A spokesperson emphasized its confidence in the social partnership and the goal of finding "good solutions for the employees and the company." Internally, however, the group is preparing for potential disruption scenarios. Management describes the company's economic situation as challenging, particularly due to intense international competition and the need for significant investments in fleet modernization.
Verdi has signaled its continued willingness to negotiate, but is making the success of the talks contingent on substantial concessions from the employers. Should the strike vote by March 18th result in broad support for industrial action, a first wave of warning strikes is expected before the Easter holidays. Passengers should therefore prepare for a period of considerable uncertainty, as the synchronized disputes among ground staff and in the cockpits of various Lufthansa subsidiaries could push the entire Lufthansa system to its limits.