Status: 02/15/2023 02:41 am
In the collective bargaining dispute in the public sector, the Ver.di union plans to strike at several airports on Friday. The all-day work stoppages are expected to have a massive impact on air traffic.
The union Ver.di expands the collective bargaining dispute in the public sector to several airports. This Friday, the airports in Munich, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Stuttgart, Dortmund, Hanover and Bremen are to be paralyzed all day, as the union announced during the night.
The employees of the operating companies are often paid according to the collective agreements of the municipalities. Due to the strike, strong effects are to be expected, especially in domestic air traffic, from delays and cancellations to the standstill of air traffic. Travelers are encouraged to switch to alternate modes of transportation.
Ver.di demands 10.5 percent more income
With the now continued warning strikes, the employees want to give emphasis to their demands in the ongoing collective bargaining dispute between the federal and local governments. Further warning strikes have been announced in Hesse, Baden-Württemberg and North Rhine-Westphalia, among others, before the second round of collective bargaining on February 22nd and 23rd.
In the ongoing collective bargaining negotiations, Ver.di and the civil servants’ association dbb are demanding 10.5 percent more income, but at least 500 euros more for the approximately 2.5 million employees in the public sector at federal and local level. The term of the new collective agreement is to be twelve months. The employers have so far rejected the claims.
Ver.di: Attractive wage increase to combat labor shortages
Deputy Ver/di chairwoman Christine Behle said there was still a catastrophic labor shortage among ground handling workers. In order to change this situation, an attractive wage increase must take place for them. Aviation security employees are entitled to an increase in the surcharges in the collective wage agreements. In the “Handelsblatt” she warned: “We urgently need better working conditions for employees in aviation, otherwise the next summer of chaos threatens.”
“Inflation, high energy and food prices are driving most employees into an insecure situation,” said Behle, according to the Ver.di release, adding: “Many no longer know how to pay their rent and fill the fridge. They clearly need more money to support themselves.” Employers should see that and react accordingly.
According to Verdi, the strikes should not affect the aid deliveries to the Turkish-Syrian earthquake. The union will offer employers emergency service agreements for this.
Already in January strikes at airports
Ver.di had already struck at the airports in Berlin and Düsseldorf in two other wage conflicts in January. In the NRW capital it was regarding a new contract with the ground handler Aviapartner, in Berlin the employees of the operating company, the ground handling services and the aviation security controllers went on strike. An agreement was reached in Berlin following the warning strike.
Air traffic is extremely prone to strikes because of the fragmented service providers, because many small, safety-relevant groups are powerful enough to bring operations to a standstill.
Last warning strike with similar consequences in 2018
The last major warning strike with similar consequences was several years ago: In April 2018, hundreds of flights across Germany had to be canceled because collective bargaining for municipal and federal employees was not progressing. In eight federal states, tens of thousands of employees went down their work during a warning strike. In addition to airports, urban transport, daycare centers, clinics, administrations and indoor swimming pools were also affected in many places.
