All flights cancelled
Strike paralyzes operations at BER Airport
1/25/2023 6:53 am
Berlin is cut off from the outside world for 24 hours – at least as far as civil air traffic is concerned. Due to a warning strike, no passenger flights can be processed at BER Airport. The Verdi union is committed to better working conditions for around 6,000 employees.
One of the most momentous warning strikes in recent years has begun at Berlin-Brandenburg Airport (BER). The Verdi union started an almost 24-hour industrial dispute in the morning, completely paralyzing the company. The airport operator FBB has already canceled all of the approximately 300 take-offs and landings originally planned at BER. Around 35,000 passengers are affected. Verdi expects a very large participation in the industrial action in the ground handling services, the airport company and aviation security.
The union justifies the strike by saying that there is not enough progress in collective bargaining for the approximately 6,000 employees in the three areas. “Whether there will be more strikes depends on what happens at the negotiating table and whether employers change their minds,” Verdi expert Enrico Rümker said on Monday. The aim of the industrial action is to achieve better working conditions. “The limit has been reached for many employees,” explained Rümker, who is also Verdi negotiator for ground staff. “The strain is unbelievable, there is a lack of staff.”
Verdi demands 500 euros more wages per month for the employees of the airport company and the ground handling services with a term of the collective agreement of twelve months. In both negotiations, the employer side is demanding significantly longer contract periods. Lufthansa boss Carsten Spohr criticized the labor dispute. “To describe a one-day strike as a warning strike is unusual,” said Spohr on Tuesday. The capital is cut off from the outside world in terms of air traffic.
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 stopped 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. Airports were involved at the time because, even after privatization, numerous municipal employees still worked in baggage and identity checks, among other things.