By Christian Ebner, dpa l Friday, February 17, 2023
HAMBURG – Many of Germany’s most important airports were empty due to industrial action called by trade union Verdi on Friday. Public servants, security and ground staff at seven airports across the country were called on to join the large-scale strike.
The strike began at Hamburg and Hanover airports, in northern Germany, as early as 10 pm on Thursday evening. Operations were later suspended at Frankfurt, Munich, Stuttgart, Bremen and Dortmund.
The seven airports handle almost two thirds of the country’s air passengers. Verdi said emergency measures are in place for military and medical operations. Aid deliveries to Turkey and special flights to the high-level Munich Security Conference will be possible, added the union.
According to estimates by the airport association ADV, almost 300,000 passengers are likely to be affected by 2,340 threatened flight cancellations.
Germany’s biggest airline Lufthansa already had to cancel around 1,300 connections after an IT problem on Wednesday.
Friday’s industrial action escalates the unions’ dispute with the federal government and municipalities ahead of a new round of negotiations over a 12-month collective bargaining contract for public sector employees on February 22 and 23.
Trade union Verdi and the German Civil Service Association (dbb) are demanding a pay rise of 10.5% or a minimum of €500 ($537) for the approximately 2.5 million employees in the public sector.
Aside for the public sector talks, collective bargaining agreements are also being negotiated for aviation security workers employed at the national level and ground staff at the local level.
Airport strikes were held last month in Berlin and Dusseldorf.
“Inflation, high energy and food prices are driving most employees into an insecure situation,” Verdi deputy chair Christine Behle said in a statement this week. “Many no longer know how to pay their rents and stock the fridge. They need significantly more money to make a living.”
She said Germany is suffering from a massive labour shortage among ground handling workers that can be fixed by offering more attractive pay. Aviation security workers, meanwhile, would be entitled to an increase in bonuses under the unions’ terms.
Air traffic is extremely susceptible to strikes because of the number of service providers that are needed to keep operations going. For instance, a strike by one of the small, but critical, security-related groups can often be enough to cripple an airport.
Verdi play a major role in Germany’s air traffic infrastructure as many members are represented under public sector wage agreements.
In April 2018, hundreds of flights were cancelled across Germany as collective bargaining stalled. Tens of thousands of employees in eight German states walked off the job. In addition to airports, public transport, daycares, clinics and swimming pools were affected. There was sharp criticism of the union’s approach from some sectors.
“It is unacceptable that Verdi is living out its collective bargaining demands on the backs of the entire German economy,” said the head of the German Association for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, Markus Jerger. He said the strike would leave thousands of passengers, business people and tourists in a lurch.
