air traffic
Airports: Government announces use of foreign helpers
Passengers stand in a queue of several hundred meters for the security check at Cologne Bonn Airport. Photo: Thomas Banneyer/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
A four-digit number of skilled workers from Turkey should help to bridge the overstretched staff situation during the holiday season – without cutting back on wages and security.
The federal government wants to alleviate the tense staffing situation at German airports with the possibility of temporarily employing foreign workers. Labor Minister Hubertus Heil (SPD) said this to the “Bild am Sonntag” (“BamS”).
“We want to rule out any form of social dumping and exploitation. Employers must pay collective wages and provide decent accommodation for a limited period of time.”
Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) spoke in the newspaper of an action coordinated with Heil and Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD), with which one wanted to “eliminate the staff shortages at German airports and present a temporary solution”. Faeser added: “We will make it possible for helpers from abroad to be used, for example, for baggage handling.” The following applies: “There are no compromises when it comes to safety.”
Citing government circles, the newspaper wrote that the aim was to get a four-digit number of skilled workers from Turkey, who could at best be deployed for a few months from July.
Shortly before the start of the main holiday season, Lufthansa, for example, announced that it would be canceling a total of almost 3,000 flights at its Frankfurt and Munich hubs because more crews were reporting sick due to corona cases. The reason is in particular a lack of staff not only at the airline itself, but also at the airports, for example at security checks.
Wissing assigned responsibility for the chaotic conditions at the airports to the companies. “The federal government is not responsible for the personnel policy of the airport companies and airlines,” he said. The Federal Ministry of Transport is responsible for air traffic control and the coordination of flight operations. “And everything runs smoothly there.”
Federal Consumer Protection Minister Steffi Lemke (Greens) demanded that the airlines deal fairly with their customers and actively provide information about claims, for example compensation. “I expect the airlines to comply with their legal obligations and to meet the legitimate claims of passengers quickly and unbureaucratically,” she told BamS.