Major German airports come to standstill amid strikes 

A strike by aviation security personnel paralyzed airports in the German cities of Dusseldorf, Hamburg, and Cologne on Thursday, with the action expected to be expanded to other airports on Friday. The trade union Verdi, which is behind the walkout, is demanding pay raises to offset the rising cost of living.    

According to the airport association ADV, some 100,000 passengers may be affected, with the number of canceled flights estimated at 700 during these two days.     

The Hamburg airport said in a statement that the “situation is calm,” adding that the “departure terminals are empty.”    

In a press release on Wednesday, the union also called on security personnel at Stuttgart airport to stage a “full-day warning strike on Friday, April 21, 2023.”    

It went on to describe how Verdi has been engaged in talks with Germany’s Federal Association of Flight Security Companies (BDLS) “for years.” It demands that remuneration for those working the night shift, weekends, and public holidays, as well as overtime, be increased. However, its efforts have “so far given no breakthrough,” the union wrote. According to the press release, BDLS has refused to offer any improvements in terms of pay for security personnel working on Saturdays and Sundays. Verdi also took issue with the association’s reluctance to pay more for overtime.     

“We call on BDLS to finally present a negotiable proposal during the negotiations on April 27-28 in order to prevent further strikes,” the union stated.    

Meanwhile, another trade union, EVG, has called for a nationwide transport strike on Friday. The action will affect the operation of Germany’s Deutsche Bahn national railway company, among other entities.     

Germans have been grappling with rising inflation over the past several months, with the lingering effects of the pandemic and consequences of anti-Russian sanctions believed to be among the reasons behind it.

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