German airports face disruption today as staff plan pay strike
German airline passengers are facing severe disruption today, with commercial departures canceled at Berlin’s biggest airport as ground staff plan to strike amid a protracted pay dispute.
Hanover and Bremen will also be affected by walkouts and flight cancellations are likely, the Verdi labor said in a statement Saturday. Hamburg has joined the capital’s BER Airport in calling of all regular departures, according to the operators.
The planned industrial action comes less than a month after Deutsche Lufthansa AG scrapped at least 1,200 flights due to strikes at its main Frankfurt and Munich hubs. While Verdi said talks over pay have been going on for years, recent protests in Europe’s largest economy have also been fueled by surging living costs stoked by Russia’s “military operation” in Ukraine.
“Air traffic has been booming again,” said Lars Stubbe, Verdi official in Hamburg. “With the strikes on Monday, the airport workers will once again give a strong signal that we will enforce our very justified demands for substantial pay increases.”
Public-sector workers in Germany are seeking a 10.5% pay bump, though talks with employers have yet to yield a result. Postal workers in the country have also gone on strike in their push for pay increases.