Friday, February 02, 2024

Strike by security staff at most major German airports cancels hundreds of flights

Associated Press
Thu, February 1, 2024 





Germany Airport Strike
Gangways on the apron of the airport are empty in Cologne, Germany, Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024. A union has called on security staff at most of Germany’s major airports to stage a one-day strike on Thursday as it steps up pressure on employers in a pay dispute.
(Thomas Banneyer/dpa via AP)

BERLIN (AP) — Security workers at most of Germany's major airports walked off the job Thursday in a one-day strike to step up pressure in a pay dispute, prompting widespread flight cancellations.

The ver.di union, which announced the walkout on Tuesday afternoon, called on workers to strike at 11 airports: Frankfurt, Berlin, Cologne, Duesseldorf, Hamburg, Stuttgart, Leipzig, Hannover, Dresden, Bremen and Erfurt.

Airports in Bavaria — including Munich, the country's second-busiest — were not affected.


All departures for the day from Berlin, Hamburg and Stuttgart were canceled before the strike started. About four-fifths of flights in Cologne and one-third in Duesseldorf also were canceled.

In Frankfurt, the operator of Germany's busiest airport said security checkpoints outside the transit area would remain closed. It advised passengers planning to start their journeys there not to come to the airport. However, there were connections for transferring passengers; Lufthansa planned to operate much of its planned schedule, including intercontinental flights.

Airport operator group ADV estimated that about 1,100 flights in total would be canceled or delayed, affected some 200,000 passengers, German news agency dpa reported.

Three rounds of labor negotiations have failed to produce a pay agreement for some 25,000 security workers. Ver.di is seeking a raise of 2.80 euros per hour ($3.03) for all employees and calling for bonuses for overtime work to kick in from the first extra hour.

An employers’ association says it offered a 4% raise this year and 3% next year, as well as concessions on when overtime bonuses kick in. The talks are due to resume on Feb. 6.

Short “warning strikes” are a common tactic in German contract negotiations. In a separate dispute, ver.di has called for strikes Friday on local public transportation systems in much of the country.

A bitter dispute over working hours and pay resulted in full-scale strikes last month that affected Germany's passenger trains. The GDL union, which represents many of the country's train drivers, on Monday ended a five-day strike earlier than originally planned after agreeing to resume talks with the state-owned main railway operator, Deutsche Bahn.

Germany strikes: Local transport at a standstill with Hamburg airport also affected

Ruth Wright
Fri, February 2, 2024 

Germany strikes: Local transport at a standstill with Hamburg airport also affected


Local buses, trams and subway trains are cancelled in 80 cities across Germany today, as well as disrpution at Hamburg airport.

Off the back of a strike that downed planes yesterday, transport employees walked off the job in the country's third transport-related strike in two weeks.

Travellers will be impacted in different ways, depending on which city they are in.

In Berlin, workers with the local transport authority walked off the job until 10 am. In Hamburg, Cologne, Hannover and elsewhere, the strike was to last all day. Bavaria, where there are no negotiations at present, was the only region not affected.
Hamburg airport warns passengers to check before travelling to the airport

Hamburg airport announced: "The trade union Ver.di is calling for a full-day warning strike by ground handling services on Friday, 02.02.24. Passengers are asked to keep up to date with their flight status and to contact their airline, as possible disruptions cannot be ruled out."

The service providers Groundstars, Stars and Cats are affected. According to Ver.di, their employees are responsible for loading and unloading the aircraft, providing technical equipment, baggage handling, aircraft de-icing, and cleaning aircrafts’ interiors.

Verdi hopes the strike will emphasise the demands of the approximately 900 ground handling employees working at Hamburg airport. These include an inflation compensation bonus of €3,000 and an increase in wages.

Why is the strike happening?

The Ver.di service workers' union called for a “warning strike,” a common tactic in German contract negotiations, on Monday. Its deputy chair, Christine Behle, said that “the time has now come to exert more pressure on employers” as talks on new pay contracts for about 90,000 people employed by over 130 local transport operators have failed to make progress.

The dispute centres on demands for better working conditions, such as a shorter working week and extra compensation days for shift and night work.

Coinciding contract negotiations in the rail, airport and local transport sectors have made for a frustrating few weeks for German travellers and commuters.

The German railway system is involved in a separate dispute that centres on a train drivers' union's demand for a shorter working week.


Local transport in Germany hit by walkouts in a dispute over working conditions

Associated Press
Fri, February 2, 2024



Germany Public Transport Strike
(AP Photo/Michael Probst)


BERLIN (AP) — Local buses, trams and subway trains were canceled in much of Germany on Friday as transport employees walked off the job in the country's third transport-related strike in two weeks.

The Ver.di service workers' union called for a “warning strike,” a common tactic in German contract negotiations, on Monday. Its deputy chair, Christine Behle, said that “the time has now come to exert more pressure on employers” as talks on new pay contracts for about 90,000 people employed by over 130 local transport operators have failed to make progress.

The exact demands and the length of Friday's walkouts varied from place to place. In Berlin, workers with the local transport authority walked off the job until 10 a.m.; in Hamburg, Cologne, Hannover and elsewhere, the strike was to last all day. Bavaria, where there are no negotiations at present, was the only region not affected.

The dispute centers on demands for better working conditions, such as a shorter working week and extra compensation days for shift and night work.

Coinciding contract negotiations in the rail, airport and local transport sectors have made for a frustrating few weeks for German travers and commuters.

The German railway system is involved in a separate dispute that centers on a train drivers' union's demand for a shorter working week.

In an unrelated dispute that centers on pay demands, Ver.di on Thursday called security workers at most of Germany’s major airports out on a one-day strike that prompted widespread flight cancellations.


Ground staff strike at Hamburg airport begins over wage dispute

DPA
Thu, February 1, 2024 

A view of the deserted Hauptbahnhof Nord subway station due to a warning strike. Over 80 cities were called to go on a warning strike as part of the nationwide wage dispute in regional negotiations by the Verdi trade union. Rabea Gruber/dpa


A day after a one day strike by aviation security staff at many German airports, another strike has come into force at Hamburg Airport.

The Verdi union had called on ground handling staff to stop work from 3:00 am (0200 GMT) to 11:59 pm on Friday. According to the airport, the consequences for passengers should be limited.

Initially, five departures and three arrivals were cancelled in the morning, according to the airport's website. The majority of these were flights to and from Helsinki and Munich, the statement said.

Hamburg Airport had originally planned 135 departures and 132 arrivals with over 37,000 passengers for Friday.

At the airport, employees of the service providers Groundstars, Stars and Cats have been called out on strike.

According to the union, they are responsible for loading and unloading aircraft, providing technical equipment, pushing back aircraft, baggage handling, de-icing aircraft and cleaning the interiors of aircraft.

With the strike, Verdi wants to push for the demands of around 900 employees. These include an inflation compensation bonus of €3,000 and a wage increase of €200 plus a 5.5 % payrise with retroactive effect from January 1. The next negotiation date is scheduled for February 19.

A sign reading "Warning strike" hangs at a BVG bus depot in Müllerstrasse. Over 80 cities were called to go on a warning strike as part of the nationwide wage dispute in regional negotiations by the Verdi trade union. Sebastian Christoph Gollnow/dpa

A view of a closed subway station due to a warning strike. Over 80 cities were called to go on a warning strike as part of the nationwide wage dispute in regional negotiations by the Verdi trade union. Sebastian Christoph Gollnow/dpa


Hundreds of flights cancelled amid strikes at 11 German airports

DPA
Thu, February 1, 2024

Strikers stand in front of Berlin Brandenburg Airport BER, one of 11 major German airports that have started a one-day strike. Christophe Gateau/dpa


Hundreds of flights have been cancelled in Germany on Thursday amid a one-day strike by aviation security workers at 11 airports across the country.

The strike forced the closure of security checkpoints at all 11 affected airports, meaning no travellers could enter the airport and board flights.

But the impact of the strike on flight operations, which began in the early hours of Thursday at most of the airports, varied widely.

The airports hit by the strike are Frankfurt, Hamburg, Bremen, Berlin, Leipzig, Dusseldorf, Cologne, Hanover, Stuttgart, Erfurt and Dresden.

At Germany's busiest airport hub in Frankfurt, for instance, about 310 flights had been cancelled as of Thursday morning out of a schedule of 1,120 flights.

Lufthansa, which is based in Frankfurt, announced plans to continue flying a nearly full schedule for arriving and connecting passengers, although no travellers could begin their journey in Frankfurt due to the security strike.

In Berlin, all departures and many arrivals were cancelled and the terminal on Thursday morning appeared deserted. In Dusseldorf, around a third of take-offs and landings were cancelled, and in nearby Cologne - where the strikes began late on Wednesday evening - virtually all air traffic had ceased.

Other airports, such as Lufthansa's secondary hub in Munich, are not impacted by the strike and were operating on largely normal flight schedules.

Workers take part in a waring strike at Frankfurt airport, one of 11 major German airports that have started a one-day strike. Jörg Halisch/dpa

An airport employee walks through the closed and deserted security checkpoint at Hamburg Airport, one of 11 major German airports that have started a one-day strike. Christian Charisius/dpa

A display at the entrance to the closed and deserted security checkpoint at Hamburg Airport reads "Gate closed" in various languages, at Hamburg Airport, one of 11 major German airports that have started a one-day strike. Christian Charisius/dpa

Two passengers who were originally due to fly from Stuttgart to Mexico, but whose flight was canceled due to the strike, sit on a bench in a terminal at Stuttgart Airport. Marijan Murat/dpa

Passengers stand in front of the check-in counter area at Cologne Bonn Airport, one of 11 major German airports that have started a one-day strike. Thomas Banneyer/dpa

Striking airport security workers hold a banner reading "More pay? With security" at Cologne Bonn Airport, one of 11 major German airports that have started a one-day strike. Thomas Banneyer/dpa

Strikers and union representatives stick posters with the words "Warning strike!" on the windows at Terminal 2 of Hamburg Airport, one of 11 major German airports that have started a one-day strike. Bodo Marks/dpa

Travelers lie sleeping on the floor at Frankfurt Airport, one of 11 major German airports that have started a one-day strike. Andreas Arnold/dpa
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