On Monday, passengers will once again have to prepare for significant delays and cancellations at several airports in Germany. All-day warning strikes began at night at the airports in Hamburg, Hanover and at the capital's Berlin-Brandenburg Airport BER. This was confirmed by spokesman for the Verdi union of the German Press Agency. The employees at Bremen Airport were also called upon to lay down their jobs. The warning strikes are also likely to have an impact on other locations. Airports advised travelers to check flight status with their airline.
The background is, on the one hand, the collective bargaining for employees in the public sector at federal and local level, local negotiations for employees in ground handling services and, on the other hand, the nationwide collective bargaining for employees in aviation security. The union is demanding 10.5 percent more wages, but at least 500 euros more per month, for around 2.5 million employees in the federal and local public services nationwide. The employer side has so far offered five percent more money in two steps and one-off payments of 2500 euros. The third round of negotiations is scheduled for March 27-29 in Potsdam.
Around 200 departures were canceled at BER alone. According to the airport, around 27,000 passengers are affected. The airport assumed that about a third of the approximately 200 planned landings would be canceled, as a spokesman said on Sunday.
The warning strike at Hamburg Airport began on Sunday evening. "The strike started on time," Verdi union secretary Lars Stubbe told the German Press Agency. According to the airport, all 123 originally planned take-offs and at least 50 of the 121 originally planned landings were canceled for Monday. The union had called about 2,000 employees to the protest. The warning strike is expected to hit tens of thousands of air travelers in the middle of Hamburg's spring break. Landings are therefore possible on Monday. Due to strikes, however, all-day flight cancellations and significant delays are also expected for arrivals.
In Hanover, the employees of the ground handling services had already stopped work on Sunday evening at 9 p.m. The warning strike by aviation security personnel began at midnight and is expected to last exactly 24 hours. "Participation is high, people are motivated," said union secretary Lars Kalkbrenner of the German Press Agency on Monday night. Originally, 35 departures and 34 arrivals in Hanover were planned. Verdi had announced that none of the flights could be carried out. According to the airport operator, at least emergency and rescue flights should be possible in Hanover.
The warning strikes at the airports could only be the prelude to further work stoppages in other areas of the transport sector. The railway and transport union EVG is currently in negotiations with Deutsche Bahn and 50 other railway companies about new collective agreements. By March 23, she will have met with each of these companies at least once. An EVG spokesman said at the weekend that a balance would then be drawn up and further measures decided. The "Bild am Sonntag" had previously reported that EVG and Verdi were already planning a joint warning strike for March 27, during which the transport sector would be paralyzed.
