A strike by the Verdi union began at Frankfurt Airport this morning. The security personnel stopped their work. Passengers cannot board there; only transit flights are possible.
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01.02.24
|hessenschau.de
Strike at Frankfurt Airport has begun
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Due to the planned warning strike by the aviation security forces on Thursday, it is currently not possible for passengers to board at Frankfurt Airport. There are no security checks.
A few planes took off in the morning. But these could only be taken by transit travelers. These travelers were also asked not to leave the airport transit area as it would not be possible to re-enter it afterwards.
Around 320 flights canceled
In addition, passengers who only change flights in Frankfurt must expect delays and cancellations. According to airport operator Fraport, around 320 flights had already been canceled by Thursday afternoon. There could be more outages throughout the day.
According to Fraport, around 800 flights are taking place – but these also include many domestic flights that were rebooked on Deutsche Bahn trains. Originally, a good 1,100 flight movements with around 135,000 passengers were planned for Thursday in Frankfurt.
Audio contribution
Audio 01:18 Min. | 01.02.24 |Lars Hofmann
Security personnel are on strike at German airports
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There were no irregularities in the transit area in the morning, said the Fraport spokesman. Some people transferring flights who did not fly to Frankfurt from safe countries of origin need to be checked here. There is an agreed emergency service for this.
Free rebooking possible until February 8th
Fraport expects “significant disruptions” throughout the day. The airport operator and Lufthansa asked passengers not to come to the airport at all on Thursday.
Lufthansa is offering free rebookings until February 8th. Passengers who have tickets for domestic flights could exchange them in advance for Deutsche Bahn tickets, it said.
Walkout from early morning until midnight
The Verdi service union called on security personnel on Tuesday to stop work from early Thursday morning. The strike should last until midnight.
As a result of the strike, it is expected that passengers, employees and goods that need to go into the security areas of the airports will no longer be able to be checked throughout the day.
In addition to Frankfurt, the airports in Hamburg, Bremen, Hanover, Berlin, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Leipzig, Dresden, Erfurt and Stuttgart are also affected by the strike.
Higher hourly wages required
At a Verdi rally, around 300 people chanted: “We are worth it – 2.80 euros.” “I think this is a clear sign of a reasonable conclusion next week,” said Mathias Venema from the Verdi union. Then no one would ask why the republic was being paralyzed. However, if no collective agreement is reached, “we’ll just have to do it again,” said Venema, with a view to further strikes.
Verdi is currently negotiating a new collective agreement with the Federal Association of Aviation Security Companies (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.”
Employees “under pressure”
In the security industry, there is “constant pressure on the job,” union secretary Behrad Ghofrani told hr on Thursday morning. He reported on colleagues who were afraid of warnings or even dismissals.
Since it is about the safety of passengers, no mistakes should be made, said Ghofrani. “To take this pressure off, you would have to offer better pay so that more people take this job and don’t go out on a limb.”
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
The strike was completely inappropriate, said Frank Haindl from the collective bargaining committee of the Federal Association of Aviation Security Companies (BDLS) on Thursday in Frankfurt. There is a debatable offer on the table. A compromise must be found that is viable for both sides.
Both sides would also have to discuss the key points of an arbitration agreement in the event that there is no solution at the negotiating table, said Haindl. It must be prevented that there are widespread strikes like those at Deutsche Bahn.
Frankfurt, Kassel, Wiesbaden and Offenbach 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 Wiesbaden.
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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.
Cabin union: Collective bargaining with Lufthansa canceled
Meanwhile, the next collective bargaining conflict in the aviation industry threatens to escalate. The cabin union UFO has unilaterally broken off salary negotiations with the Lufthansa Group for around 18,000 flight attendants from the parent company.
“The last offer from Lufthansa is not enough either,” it said in a circular to members on Wednesday after 14 days of negotiations.
Ready to strike
The cabin union barely concealed the threat of a strike, even though the collective bargaining committee had not yet made a decision. She wrote: “The sharpest sword of a union is so obvious that we don’t even have to say it separately. But one thing is clear: we are prepared to take the path of the last resort.”
“We therefore lack any understanding for the cancellation at this time,” explained Lufthansa. Solutions could only be worked out at the negotiating table. Therefore, they are calling on UFO to resume negotiations.
Further information
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