Travelers in Germany faced interruptions and cancellations on Monday as workers’ 24-hour strikes hit 13 different airports, including some of the country’s busiest airline hubs.
Public service personnel, ground personnel and aviation security personnel were all asked to start at midnight on Monday, and the Verdi union began leaving work in two different wage disputes.
The strike will affect Lufthansa’s major hubs Frankfurt and Munich airports, as well as airports in Berlin, Hamburg, Hanover, Hanover, Bremont, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Cologne/Wireform, Lepas/Lepas/Hal and Stuttgart.
The other two smaller airport security personnel – Weeze Airport near Dusseldorf and Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden Airport – were attacked only by aviation safety strikes.
A spokesman for air traffic management said that in Frankfurt, Germany’s busiest airport, no passenger plane could not leave on Monday.
For Frankfurt, 1,054 people were cancelled in 1,116 takeoffs and landings scheduled for Monday, affecting about 150,000 passengers in total. According to the spokesperson, only a few arrived.
Air traffic at BER Airport is expected to be completely cancelled with no takeoff or landing.
According to earlier estimates from the ADV Airport Association, more than 3,400 flights are expected to be cancelled nationwide, with 510,000 passengers affected by the strike.
Under German air traffic control, approximately 6,000 flights are held every day at German airports, and another 3,000 people pass through German airspace.
Double salary dispute
Verdi gathered public service staff and ground staff as part of a wider wave of public sector strikes.
A Wildi spokesman said further crackdowns will also continue this week in other types of facilities operated by the federal government and local authorities. The next round of compensation talks (the third round) is scheduled to be held in Potsdam near Berlin on Friday.
Aviation Safety staff joined the airport’s public sector strike. These people work in the areas of passenger control, personnel, cargo and freight control, and services.
A new collective labor agreement is currently being negotiated for them. The next round of negotiations is scheduled to be held on March 26 and 27.
For public sector workers, Verdi demanded an 8% salary, an increase of at least €350 ($380) per month and provided three days off for a total of 2.5 million government workers.
Joachim Lang, head of the BDL Air Transport Association, described the strike as disproportionate.
“The entire transportation sector has been closed in full, and airports and airlines as well as restaurants, retail and hotels are not parties to the agreement,” Lan said. “There is a collective bargaining conflict on the back of passengers even before the next round of negotiations begins.”
He called for new rules on critical infrastructure strikes.
The security checkpoint at the terminal building of Brandenburg Airport (BER) in Berlin remains closed. The Verdi Alliance called for a 24-hour public sector warning strike at 13 airports on Monday. Christophe Gateau/DPA
The display board at the departure zone of Dusseldorf Airport warns delays. Union Verdi called for a 24-hour warning strike for public services and ground handling at 11 airports on Monday. Christoph Reichwein/DPA
Lufthansa stands in the morning at Terminal 2 of Munich Airport. The Verdi Alliance called for a 24-hour public sector warning strike at 13 airports on Monday. Peter Kneffel/DPA
