Union Verdi expands warning strikes to passenger checkpoints at German airports. Frankfurt’s largest airport will go on strike together with Hamburg, Stuttgart and Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden on Tuesday.
According to industry sources, tens of thousands of people were unable to fly as early as Monday because passenger, staff and cargo controls were on strike. Berlin, Düsseldorf, Cologne/Bonn, Hanover, Hamburg, Leipzig/Halle and Bremen have been hit since early morning. The union speculated that about 1,350 employees nationwide would take part in the warning strikes. Failures also occurred at other airports as a result.
The employees want to underscore their calls for higher wages for security forces at commercial airports in the ongoing wage dispute. The union assumes some 1,350 employees nationwide are taking part in the warning strikes.
Since midday, the union has extended its warning strike to Munich. The action in the Bavarian state capital is not expected to conclude until Tuesday at midnight. According to Verdi, the control of goods as well as the control of personnel and goods are concerned in Munich. However, passenger checks are not affected because these employees are subject to the collective agreement for the public service. The effects of the warning strike were already evident on Monday: 20 take-offs and landings were canceled at Munich due to strikes at other airports, the airport company announced at noon.
Employers criticize short-term absenteeism
Verdi wants to sign a twelve-month contract and increase the hourly wage by at least one euro. The salaries of baggage inspectors and staff should reach the level of passenger screening clerks, aircraft security and boarding pass screening clerks should be paid uniformly nationwide.
The employers’ association BDLS criticized Verdi’s demands as “utopian”. The union has called for up to 40% increase for the aviation security forces, has insisted on this since the beginning of the collective bargaining round and has now rejected serious negotiations in three collective bargaining rounds. “By the way, and regardless of all the speeches and offers, Verdi continues to represent the utopian position of raising the highest salary in aviation safety again and thus bringing other salary groups into line with this salary. It should be clear to everyone that this cannot be represented and that there is no basis for a There is no negotiation,” explains BDLS negotiator Rainer Friebertshäuser.
ADV: “Horror scenario for passengers”
“The short-term industrial action represents a horrific scenario for passengers, who have no way to prepare for flight cancellations,” criticized Ralph Beisel, director general of the German Airports Association (ADV). At the same time, he referred to the high losses airports are generating during the coronavirus crisis.
The association criticized the call for a strike as “disproportionate”. “We are calling on the collective bargaining parties to seek agreement at the negotiating table on the controversial points,” Beisel said.
The Frankfurt operator Fraport has asked all guests who wanted to board in Frankfurt not to travel to the airport. There will be no way to get on scheduled flights for the duration of the strike. Delays are expected in transit processes with changing passengers. A company spokesman said there was no understanding of such a comprehensive strike being carried out on the backs of passengers. 770 flight movements were expected for Tuesday.
Flight cancellations at affected airports
According to the union, the security forces at the airports of Düsseldorf, Berlin, Bremen, Hanover and Leipzig stopped working from the early hours of the morning.
The warning strike had already led to numerous flight cancellations at the capital’s BER airport in the morning. Passenger security and employee access control personnel stopped work early in the morning. According to an airport spokesman, two-thirds of departures have been cancelled. Queues formed in the terminal.
According to the Verdi union, around 220 colleagues took part in the first-round warning strike. “We are excited about the participation,” said Helge Biering, Verdi’s representative. The warning strike is planned for the whole day.
© dpa / Özay Agriculture/Greens
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At Dusseldorf, about 160 of the originally planned 290 or so flights had already been cancelled, the airport said in the morning. According to the airport, 94 of the 136 scheduled arrivals and departures have been canceled at Cologne/Bonn Airport. “Only ten departures happen during the day,” the airport said.
The airports have urged passengers to inquire with the airlines in advance of their arrival if their flight has been cancelled. “Even if your flight takes place, significant delays are expected in the passenger checks,” stressed the Düsseldorf airport and asked to reduce hand luggage to a minimum to speed up the checks.
As announced by the trade union spokesman in Leipzig, 30 employees have stopped work since yesterday evening. The effects are reflected in delays in checking people and goods. An airport spokesman said up to eight flights could potentially be affected by the strike. An increased deployment of federal police officers should compensate for failed ID checks.
Numerous flights were also canceled at Hanover and Bremen airports on Monday. As online departure plans showed in the morning, 15 out of 27 departures in Hanover and four out of 13 in Bremen were canceled
The tariff dispute drags on
The Green Services union is negotiating nationwide with the Federal Association of Aviation Safety Companies (BDLS) for more money for the industry’s approximately 25,000 employees. Among other things, the union is asking for a wage increase of at least one euro per hour for a period of twelve months. Furthermore, he wants to ensure that the regionally differing wages are adjusted “to the highest wage level”.
At the end of February, after two unsuccessful rounds of negotiations, there were warning strikes at individual airports. At the beginning of March, the third round also failed. Verdi defines the employer’s offer as “insufficient”.
After the talks, the Federal Association of Aviation Security Companies spoke of approximations, but the ideas were still very distant. There have been warning strikes at several airports in recent weeks. Both sides want to meet on March 16 and 17 in Berlin for further negotiations.
