After a series of disruptive labour strikes in Germany’s aviation industry, key wage negotiations involving the trade unions for tens of thousands of workers were to resume on Thursday.

German airline Lufthansa will return to talks with the trade union for flight attendants, UFO, over their demands for 15 per cent wage hikes and bonuses for about 19,000 flight attendants.

The attendants at Lufthansa and its subsidiary Lufthansa Cityline, union sources said.

On Friday, trade unions representing around 25,000 aviation security workers who screen passengers and baggage at numerous airports around Germany would begin arbitration proceedings over their collective bargaining contract with private security contractors.

The parties have set an initial deadline of midnight on Sunday (2200 GMT Saturday) to strike a deal.

The trade union verdi has agreed not to call further strikes at least until the arbitration talks are complete.

Aviation security workers are making demands on a range of issues in the talks, according to verdi negotiator Wolfgang Pieper.

All issues remain open and unresolved even after six rounds of negotiations and several previous strikes.

However, the union’s demand for a major overhaul in how overtime work is handled was the biggest sticking point in the talks with the Association of Aviation Security Companies.

The arbitrator’s recommendations are not binding.

Last week, Lufthansa managed to strike a deal in arbitration with about 25,000 ground employees represented by the verdi union.

The proposed deal, which still must be ratified by rank-and-file union members, would provide average wage hikes of 12.5 per cent and a bonus of €3,000 ($3,230).

The left-wing premier of the eastern German state of Thuringia, Bodo Ramelow, helped lead the arbitration talks.

Lufthansa ground employees had previously staged several brief strikes and voted to authorise an indefinite work stoppage. 

(dpa/NAN)