FRANKFURT – Workers at seven German airports, including the busy hubs of Frankfurt and Munich, will stage a one-day strike on Friday to push their demand for higher wages, the Verdi trade union said.
The walkout is expected to cause delays and cancellations for tens of thousands of passengers, especially those travelling on domestic flights.
“The workers are jointly putting pressure on their respective employers because negotiations so far haven’t achieved any results,” Verdi deputy chairwoman Christine Behle said in a statement early today.
Verdi is currently leading negotiations for public sector workers, airport ground crew and aviation security staff, demanding better pay at a time when workers are seeing their incomes eroded by the higher cost of living.
The one-day stoppage will affect airports in the cities of Bremen, Dortmund, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Hanover, Munich and Stuttgart.
Flights delivering aid to earthquake-hit Turkey and Syria will not be impacted, Verdi said.
The union urged travellers to be understanding, and said it had made the strike announcement early to allow time for passengers to make alternative plans.
“Inflation, high energy and food prices are forcing many workers into a precarious situation,” said Behle. “They need significantly more money to make a living.”
The union staged a similar strike at Berlin Brandenburg airport last month, leading to the cancellation or rescheduling of around 300 flights. – AFP, February 15, 2023
