Photo credit: www.yahoo.com
BERLIN (AP) — A strike involving workers at 13 German airports, including major hubs such as Frankfurt and Munich, disrupted air travel on Monday as most flights were canceled.
Commencing at midnight, the one-day walkout included public-sector workers along with ground and security personnel at the airports.
According to the German news agency dpa, Frankfurt Airport experienced severe disruption, with 1,054 out of 1,116 scheduled take-offs and landings called off.
Berlin Airport reported a complete cancellation of both arrivals and departures, while Hamburg Airport announced no flights could leave. Additionally, Cologne/Bonn Airport indicated that there would be no regular passenger services, and Munich Airport warned travelers to anticipate significantly fewer flights.
The strike was organized by the ver.di service workers union, affecting airports in Hamburg, Bremen, Hannover, Berlin, Duesseldorf, Dortmund, Cologne/Bonn, Leipzig/Halle, Stuttgart, and Munich. At the smaller Weeze and Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden airports, only security personnel participated in the walkout.
The union announced the strike on the preceding Friday. Subsequently, they added an unscheduled walkout at Hamburg Airport on Sunday to strengthen the impact of the Monday strike.
This “warning strike,” a strategy often employed in Germany during wage negotiations, is part of two distinct pay disputes: ongoing discussions for a new contract regarding pay and working conditions for airport security staff, and a broader conflict over compensation for federal and municipal employees.
The wider dispute has already prompted strikes at several airports, including Cologne/Bonn, Duesseldorf, Hamburg, and Munich. Negotiations for the latter issue are set to continue on Friday, while discussions for airport security personnel will resume on March 26.
Source
www.yahoo.com