13 airports paralyzed

German warning strikes even bigger than planned

These employees and trade unionists are marching for better working conditions. It remains to be seen whether their industrial action will be successful.

(Bild: EPA)

The all-day warning strike at a total of 13 German airports is in full swing and even bigger than previously planned. In addition to public sector employees of airport operators and ground handling services, employees in aviation security have also joined the work stoppage. 

At some airports, the actions only began when operations started in the early hours of the morning. At the capital's BER airport, for example, there were hardly any employees on site for the first shift at 3.30 a.m. apart from a few pickets, said union secretary Enrico Rümker in the morning. There will probably be no take-offs and landings there. Rümker did not expect any major chaos at BER.

Occasional check-ins possible
In previous years, there have been no problems with strikes due to the timely announcements. Berlin Airport had already announced in advance: "All planned departures and arrivals will be affected by the strikes and can therefore not take place."

The display boards in Düsseldorf also showed many canceled flights in the morning, as a dpa reporter reported. However, there did not appear to be a complete standstill in the state capital of North Rhine-Westphalia. In some cases, air travelers were at least able to check in and check their luggage. One couple said that they were being taken by bus to Münster airport, which was not affected by the strike, and were to start their journey from there. 

Many passengers are trying to shorten the waiting time by getting some sleep.

(Bild: APA/AP)

"No plane is leaving Frankfurt"
No passenger aircraft will leave Frankfurt on Monday, a spokesperson for the traffic management announced in the morning. Of 1116 take-offs and landings with a total of around 150,000 passengers, 1054 were reportedly canceled in Frankfurt. According to the spokesperson, there were only a few aircraft arrivals - some with passengers, some empty. In total, the airport association ADV is expecting around 3,400 flight cancellations, with over 500,000 passengers unable to travel. Austria is also massively affected. Vienna-Schwechat Airport announced on Sunday that 45 flights between Vienna and German airports will be canceled on Monday. Numerous flights between German airports and Graz, Salzburg, Linz, Innsbruck and Klagenfurt are also affected.

The warning strikes in the public sector announced on Friday will also be joined today by employees in aviation security, as the Verdi union announced at the weekend. These employees work in passenger control, personnel, goods and freight control as well as in service areas. A new collective wage agreement for them is currently being negotiated with the employers in the Federal Association of Aviation Security Companies (BDLS). The next round of negotiations is scheduled for March 26 and 27. 

These employees and trade unionists are marching for better working conditions. It remains to be seen whether their industrial action will be successful.

(Bild: EPA)

These are the demands of the employees
The next round of negotiations for the public sector is scheduled for this Friday (March 14) in Potsdam. Meanwhile, warning strikes are also set to continue this week in other federal and local government institutions. Among other things, the union is demanding an eight percent wage increase, but at least 350 euros more per month, as well as three additional days off in the collective bargaining negotiations for the federal and local authorities. The employers have not yet presented a concrete offer. This is causing "a great deal of resentment" and much discussion among employees, union secretary Rümker told dpa. "The expectation is already there that collective bargaining will now progress over the weekend."

In aviation security, Verdi is demanding, among other things, improved occupational health and safety, 30 days' vacation and additional leave for shift work as well as a free choice of doctor for the regular mandatory medical fitness examinations for employees.