Balkans | The “airport strike” in Germany affects more than 100,000 passengers

The 48-hour warning strike by security personnel at the four airports in Germany has grounded most flights, with more than 100,000 passengers expected to be affected by flight cancellations.

After the security guards of the Confederation of the United Service Industry (Ver.di) failed to reach an agreement in negotiations to increase their wages with their employers, a 48-hour work stoppage began at the airports of Hamburg, Cologne/Bonn and Dusseldorf last night.

The German Airports Association (ADV) stated that the strike, which was intended to cut off large areas of international and national air traffic, went far beyond what was acceptable and was wholly inappropriate.

ADV has announced that 700 flights are likely to be canceled at airports due to business interruption, affecting more than 100,000 passengers.

Verdi also urged security guards to step down at Stuttgart airport on Friday. It is not clear how many flights will be canceled at this airport.

Strike wave in Germany

It is noteworthy that the wave of strikes has spread in recent months, as workers demand higher wages to compensate for the high cost of living with unusually high inflation in Germany.

The Confederation of German Mining, Chemical and Energy Workers (IG BCE) and Verdi called private energy workers for a one-day mass strike today, to demand higher wages against higher inflation.

On the other hand, the warning strike led by Verdi and the German Railway Workers’ Union (EVG) on March 27 in the transport sector halted most plane, train and bus services, paralyzing the country’s transport movement.