The Verdi union has called on security staff at airports in numerous cities to go on strike on Thursday. Frankfurt Airport is also affected. According to the Federal Association of Aviation Security Companies, 1,500 flights could be canceled there.
The service union Verdi wants to strike at airports nationwide on Thursday. As she announced on Tuesday, she called on the approximately 25,000 employees in the aviation security industry to stop work from early in the morning. The airport in Frankfurt is also affected. The strike should last until midnight.
If the announced strike occurs, it will no longer be possible to check passengers, employees and goods that have to go into the security areas of the airports. This is likely to bring air traffic to a standstill in large parts of Germany.
In addition to Frankfurt, strikes are also planned at the airports in Hamburg, Bremen, Hanover, Berlin, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Leipzig, Dresden, Erfurt and Stuttgart.
Millions in damage feared
Frank Haindl, head of the tariff commission at the Federal Association of Aviation Security Companies (BDLS), told the hr that around 1,500 connections could be canceled in Frankfurt alone. The strike affects both the security companies represented and the airlines:
“The economic damage to the service providers at the airports will be in the range of several hundred thousand euros. However, the damage suffered by passengers and airlines is likely to be in the double-digit million range.”
Higher hourly wages required
Verdi is currently negotiating a new collective agreement with the BDLS. The union is demanding, among other things, 2.80 euros more hourly wages for employees, as well as higher functional bonuses and overtime bonuses from the first hour of overtime. The collective agreement should have a term of 12 months.
“Our goal is to sustainably compensate for the loss of purchasing power of employees,” said Verdi negotiator Wolfgang Pieper. The work of the aviation security forces must remain financially attractive so that the urgently needed skilled workers can be recruited and retained.
“There is already a shortage of qualified workers who are willing to work extremely flexibly at airports around the clock, on weekends and on public holidays.”
Talks next week
So far there has been no agreement in three rounds of negotiations. Further discussions are planned for Tuesday and Wednesday next week. Verdi said that the employers had held out the prospect of submitting a possible offer, but this was subject to the precondition that the union agreed to an arbitration procedure. Such preconditions are rejected.
In addition, the possible offer only provides for wage increases of four percent in 2024, which corresponds to 55 to 82 cents more per hour depending on the wage group. In 2025 there should be a further increase of three percent, which would be an additional 43 to 64 cents.
Sharp criticism of the strike plan
A spokeswoman for the BDLS had already clearly criticized a possible strike before the strike was officially announced. This gives the impression that Verdi wants to “catch up with the GDL,” she said, alluding to the days-long train drivers’ strike on the railway.
The aviation industry association BDL also sharply criticized the union’s actions: “Paralyzing air traffic in Germany through a warning strike by aviation security forces is inappropriate. Instead, everything should be done to find a solution at the negotiating table or through arbitration,” explained general manager Matthias by Randow.
Public transport strike on Friday
The strike in air traffic comes one day before the Verdi strike in public transport, which was also announced. In March last year, the Verdi union and the Railway and Transport Union (EVG) called for parallel strikes in air and rail transport. The “major strike day” brought traffic to a standstill nationwide. More than 1,000 flights had to be canceled in Frankfurt.
Strike in local transport: Buses and trains (not) run here on Friday
Passengers in Hesse have to prepare for delays and cancellations: The Verdi union has announced a strike on local transport. In Frankfurt, subways and trams will probably be affected. There is a threat of standstill in Kassel.
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