More than 1,000 flights are expected to be canceled or delayed, affecting more than 200,000 passengers, as airport security personnel have been put on alert. One-day strike at 11 major airports on Thursday in Germany, according to the German airport association ADV.
The strike began on Wednesday night after passenger management staff failed to show up for their night shift at Cologne-Bonn Airport in western Germany.
Ozai Tarim, a spokesman for the Verdi trade union, said the airport’s strike participation rate was 100%.
“It’s been a successful start to the strike,” he said, adding that he expected more than 80% of flights, including arriving and departing flights, to be canceled during the day.
Which airports in Germany are affected by the strike?
At Verdi’s request, security guards were suspended from duty in Frankfurt, Hamburg, Bremen, Berlin, Leipzig, Düsseldorf, Cologne, Hannover, Stuttgart, Erfurt and Dresden. industrial action.
All takeoffs were canceled at airports in Berlin, Hamburg, Hannover and Stuttgart. Arrival may also be significantly delayed.
at the same time, dusseldorf The airport had only canceled a third of its flights. Tarim said the security company there offered workers a 200-euro (approximately 25,000 yen) “strike break bonus” for coming to work.
Airports in southern Bavaria, such as Munich and Nuremberg, are not affected by the industrial action because security guards are considered public sector employees and have different contracts.
What is the situation at Frankfurt Airport?
Germany’s largest airport Frankfurtmajor disruptions are also expected on Thursday, with boarding canceled for all passengers in the morning.
“The strike will cause significant disruption and flight cancellations throughout the day,” airport operator Fraport said on its website. “Security checkpoints, especially outside transit areas, will remain closed.”
Passengers departing from Frankfurt were advised to avoid the airport on Thursday and to contact their airline.
A small number of transit flights took off Thursday morning. However, it also warned that transit passengers could face “significant disruption and delays” due to the strike.
Lufthansa German Airlines, Germany’s flag carrier airline announced that passengers can rebook their flights until February 8th. It also offered Thursday train tickets to domestic travelers at no extra charge.
Speaking from Frankfurt Airport, DW’s Kristi Pradson said passengers appeared to be “quite irritated and dissatisfied” with people shouting profanities inside the building.
ADV representative Ralph Beisel protested that Thursday’s strike would hurt the airport operator, even though it is not a party to the wage dispute.
What do striking airport workers want?
Verdi launched the strike after several rounds of collective bargaining with the Japan Aviation Security Services Association (BDLS) failed to reach an agreement.
The main demand is for an hourly wage increase of 2.80 euros. A BDLS spokesperson said they had proposed a 4% wage increase this year and a 3% increase next year, but the union’s demands could not be met.
“Verdi and these workers want wages that better reflect how important they are to the functioning of the airport and to air travel,” DW’s Pradson said.
“We are now seeing labor spillover effects in Germany as well, with people demanding better wages and better working conditions, and it certainly seems like that is happening,” she added.
Thursday’s strike came after Germany’s train drivers’ union GDL called for union demands in the country. longest railway strike in history Last week, following a dispute with the state Railway operating company Deutsche Bahn.
Verdy also called Local public transport workers go on strike across Germany on friday.
ab/rt (DPA, Reuters)
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