The strike planned for Friday at seven German airports is likely to have a massive impact on the Munich Security Conference, to which high-ranking politicians and diplomats are due to travel from all over the world. The Verdi union has called for a day-long industrial action at the airports in Frankfurt, Munich, Stuttgart, Hamburg, Dortmund, Hanover and Bremen.
“We assume that the participants in the Munich Security Conference, who come in government planes, can land via the emergency service,” Verdi expert Manuela Dietz told the Archyde.com news agency on Wednesday. There will be talks with Munich Airport on Thursday.
However, participants who plan to travel in other planes would have to look for alternatives. “I’m assuming massive effects and I estimate that almost no planes are coming or going in Munich,” said Dietz. No passenger plane will take off or arrive at any of the other affected airports either. However, emergencies should be able to land, machines with aid deliveries to Turkey and Syria should be able to start.
700 take-offs and landings are planned for Friday at Munich Airport. It was not yet clear on Wednesday afternoon how many of these would actually take place or be cancelled. An airport spokesman said that the strike would have a massive impact on regular passenger air traffic in particular. The participants of the conference, who arrive in separate machines, will probably be able to land. Handling the additional flights during the Siko means a lot of work for the airport. How many flights Lufthansa, by far the largest airline in Munich, has to cancel was still open on Wednesday.
The US delegation led by Kamala Harris is already arriving on Thursday
The organizers of the Munich Security Conference are concerned: “Hundreds of decision-makers from all five continents have already confirmed their participation,” said a spokeswoman. The strike will also affect the course of the conference. We are in close contact with all relevant authorities and especially the guests in order to keep these effects as low as possible.
The three-day Munich Security Conference begins on Friday. In addition to Chancellor Olaf Scholz and US Vice President Kamala Harris, dozens of heads of government as well as foreign and defense ministers, diplomats and many security experts are expected. In addition, a third of the US Senate should also take part. According to the airport, the American delegation will arrive on Thursday.
Federal and local government employees, ground staff and aviation security employees have been called to strike. Collective bargaining is currently being conducted for all three groups. “The negotiations so far have been practically fruitless,” said Manuela Dietz of the DPA news agency. “Nothing is progressing in the public sector and among the employees of aviation security and ground handling services. In order to change this situation, we are now increasing the pressure with the warning strikes.” Verdi is demanding 10.5 percent higher wages in the public sector, and more money is also at stake in local collective agreements for ground staff and nationwide negotiations for aviation security.
Munich Airport boss Jost Lammers, who is also President of the Federal Association of the German Aviation Industry, said that the nationwide strikes had nothing to do with warning strikes. “Verdi is completely overstepping the mark here and carrying out the tariff conflict at the expense of the passengers. The tariff conflict must be clarified at the negotiating table and not in the terminals at the expense of the passengers.”
Incidentally, the IT breakdown at Lufthansa on Wednesday had hardly any effect on flight operations in Munich. Only seven takeoffs and landings were cancelled.