Aviation security personnel
Strikes bring five airports to a standstill – affecting tens of thousands of travelers
Empty terminal at Berlin Airport BER
© Carsten Koall / DPA
After the Lufthansa employees, the security staff are now on strike: five German airports are affected by the warning strike on Thursday. And it continues straight away on Friday.
Because of the all-day strike by aviation security forces on Thursday, passengers can no longer come into the security area. According to estimates by the airport association ADV, more than 580 flight connections are likely to be canceled and 90,000 travelers will have to reschedule.
Strikes at airports also on Friday
On Friday, aviation security personnel are scheduled to stop work in Hanover, Dortmund, Weeze, Dresden and Leipzig and again in Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden. Verdi also called on employees in personnel and goods control as well as cargo control at Munich Airport to go on strike from Thursday at 4 a.m. to Friday at 6 a.m. This particularly affects the freight sector.
Germany’s largest airport in Frankfurt is not affected by the warning strikes by aviation security staff this Thursday and Friday. There, as well as in Munich, the two-day strike by Lufthansa cabin crew on Tuesday and Wednesday could still result in isolated delays and flight cancellations.
Aviation security collective bargaining concerns the working conditions of around 25,000 employees of private security service providers. On behalf of the Federal Police, they check passengers, staff and luggage at the entrances to the security area. So far, five rounds of negotiations have failed to produce any results in the conflict. Verdi is calling for an hourly wage increase of 2.80 euros over a period of twelve months, with overtime bonuses starting more quickly from the first hour of overtime.
According to their own information, the aviation security companies (BDLS) have offered 2.70 euros more per hour in three stages, which would increase monthly wages by 432 euros to 470 euros. The collective agreement should have a term of 24 months. A sixth round of negotiations with Verdi is scheduled for March 20th.
Negotiations have been going on again since Wednesday for the Lufthansa ground staff. Talks between the airline and Verdi should continue this Thursday. Verdi is demanding 12.5 percent more money for the 25,000 Lufthansa employees on the ground for a term of twelve months, while the company has previously offered 10 percent for a term of 28 months. After four rounds of negotiations, an inflation compensation bonus of 3,000 euros is comparatively undisputed.