The Verdi union has paralyzed large parts of German air traffic. If possible, no more planes should take off or land in Frankfurt, Munich, Stuttgart, Bremen, Hamburg and Dortmund. According to estimates by the airport association ADV, almost 300,000 passengers are affected by a good 2,340 flight cancellations. The association spoke of an “unprecedented escalation”. Lufthansa alone had to cancel around 1,300 connections after overcoming the IT breakdown caused by an excavator on Wednesday.
The planned all-day warning strike at Hanover Airport began on Friday night. Airport operations in Hanover, which is the only one of the seven airports on strike that does not have a ban on night flights, are very limited, said a Verdi spokesman for the German Press Agency late Thursday evening.
With the walkout, not only at the airports, the employees want to emphasize their demands in the collective bargaining dispute between the federal and local governments. In addition to the public service, there are also local negotiations for ground handling services and a nationwide round of collective bargaining for aviation security. Joint rallies are planned.
SMEs criticize strike as “unacceptable”
Verdi and the civil servants’ association DBB are demanding 10.5 percent more income in the public service wage dispute, but at least 500 euros more for the approximately 2.5 million federal and local employees. The term should be twelve months. The employers have rejected the claims. The second round of negotiations is scheduled for February 22nd and 23rd in Potsdam. An offer from the employer has not yet been received.
Sharp criticism of the union’s actions comes from medium-sized companies. “It is unacceptable that Verdi lives out its collective bargaining demands on the back of the entire German economy,” said Markus Jerger, head of the Federal Association of Small and Medium-sized Businesses. The planned strike will not only affect air travel, but will also let thousands of passengers, business people and tourists down. He warned of devastating consequences.