After failing to reach an agreement with employers on increased wages for workers, the Ver.di union called on its members to join a major strike at many airports in Germany on April 20 and 21.
The strike is expected to severely affect air traffic in Germany.
The ADV airport association said the strikes, which began on the evening of April 19, could affect about 700 flights at three major airports in Germany, including Hamburg, Düsseldorf and Cologne/Bonn, with more than 100,000 passengers experiencing delays or cancellations.
Security staff working at airports have joined the two-day strike, according to the Ver.di union.
In addition to cancelled flights, passengers are also warned to expect longer waits for flights.
At Hamburg Airport, all departures were canceled, while a third of flights scheduled to land in Hamburg were also canceled. Hamburg Airport said in a statement that “the situation remains stable,” adding that “the gates will be empty” as more than 300 flights were canceled, affecting around 80,000 passengers.
Düsseldorf Airport has also informed passengers about the strike and urged passengers to regularly visit the airport's website for updates.
At Cologne/Bonn Airport, on April 20 alone, about 121 out of 204 flights were canceled, affecting about 28,000 passengers. More flights are expected to be canceled at this airport on April 21.
In addition to the three airports mentioned above, several other airports, such as Stuttgart, will also be affected by the strike. To compensate passengers whose flights were canceled due to the strike, many flights will be rescheduled to April 22 or the following days. Passengers are advised to contact their airlines or travel agents to reschedule their canceled flights.
The Ver.di union has been in talks with the German Federal Aviation Security Association (BDLS) for "many years". Verdi is demanding increased pay for night, weekend and holiday shifts, as well as overtime.
However, the negotiations on April 11-12 did not yield any results and the union rejected the employer's proposal as the additional wages for night shift workers were still too low, while only agreeing to increase wages for workers who work from 10pm onwards, instead of 8pm as requested by the union. The next round of negotiations is scheduled to take place on April 27 and 28.
"We call on the BDLS to finally present a negotiable proposal during the talks on April 27-28 to prevent further strikes," the Ver.di union said in a statement.
In addition to the ongoing strikes at airports, the German Railway and Transport Union (EVG) has also called for a nationwide transport strike on April 21. This strike will affect the operations of the German national railway company Deutsche Bahn and many other transport routes.
The EVG union is negotiating on behalf of 230,000 workers with employers for a 12% pay rise, or at least 650 euros ($712) a month. Deutsche Bahn, meanwhile, is proposing a 5% pay rise, along with a one-time payment of up to 2,500 euros.
Minh Hoa (t/h according to Vietnam+, VTV)
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