A 24-hour walkout by tens of thousands of ground staff and public sector workers at Germany’s major airports on Monday will cause travel chaos for more than half a million passengers and has led to the cancellation of over 3,400 flights. The walkout, organized by the Verdi union, is a major escalation after a series of walkouts during last month.
The German Airports Association (ADV) referred to the strike as a serious disruption for the air travel of the nation, saying, “Germany’s air traffic will be largely shut down on Monday.” The disturbance will extend beyond the mobility of passengers to have far-reaching economic effects, ADV cautioned.
Frankfurt Airport, Germany’s largest hub, issued a statement indicating departures probably would be stopped for the day, telling customers to stay away from the airport and look online at their carrier’s website. The other hit airports are Munich, Stuttgart, Cologne/Bonn, Dusseldorf, Dortmund, Hanover, Bremen, Hamburg, Berlin, and Leipzig-Halle. Nevertheless, DFS, Germany’s air traffic management provider, stipulated that the strike would directly not affect it.
Verdi is demanding an 8% pay rise, or at least a minimum monthly increase of €350 ($380), as well as better bonuses and more leave. The union said the strike was called after February talks broke down without a deal. Employers have rejected the demands as too costly.
In spite of the disruption, Verdi and employers are to continue negotiations later this month. In the meantime, travelers are advised to remain up to date on any further disruption to Germany’s aviation industry.
