The German services union Verdi has called for a one-day walkout by Lufthansa staff at German airports on Monday 22nd April in an escalating pay dispute.

“Verdi has called on Lufthansa employees to stage full-day warning strikes at German airports on April 22 after management failed to come up with a negotiable pay offer in the third round of pay talks on April 17,” the union said in a statement. Verdi is calling for a 5.2-percent pay increase for 33,000 Lufthansa ground staff, plus employees of the subsidiaries Lufthansa-Systems, Lufthansa Service Group (LSG), Lufthansa Technik and Lufthansa Cargo, as well as those cabin crew members who are Verdi members.

The union complained that the offer tabled by management represented an increase 0.4-0.6 percent over a period of 12 months. “For employees that is a sharp reduction in real pay and in no way acceptable,” said Verdi boar d member Christine Behle.

The airports affected will be Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich, Stuttgart, Hannover, Duesseldorf, Cologne and Norderstedt. Walkouts are planned for Berlin from 2:30 pm (1230 GMT) and in the morning in Nuremberg.

Lufthansa was forced to cancel more than 670 European flights last month owing to similar warning strikes.