BERLIN/FRANKFURT (dpa-AFX) - Verdi is once again making airports the scene of a warning strike on Thursday. The union has called on aviation security control staff at eleven major airports to strike for the whole day. As a result, the airport association ADV estimates that around 1100 flights will be canceled or delayed. Around 200,000 passengers will be affected.

Where will the strikes take place?

According to Verdi, the actions will take place in Frankfurt, Hamburg, Bremen, Berlin, Leipzig, Düsseldorf, Koln, Hanover, Stuttgart, Erfurt and Dresden. According to Lufthansa, access to aircraft will not be possible here. Munich and Nuremberg airports are not affected by the Verdi strike, so it can be assumed that operations there will continue as normal. Here, aviation security staff work in the public sector, for which a different collective agreement applies. Several airports such as Berlin, Hamburg and Stuttgart have canceled all take-offs, while Düsseldorf and Koln wanted to maintain some operations.

Lufthansa flies most of the program

This also applies to Germany's largest airport, Frankfurt, where 1050 flight movements were initially planned. Lufthansa plans to fly most of its program on Thursday. Most of the long-haul flights will take place, the airline announced. Shuttle flights for transfer passengers will also be offered. However, there may be longer waiting times in the transit area. The company is offering free rebooking until February 8. Passengers for domestic German flights could exchange their ticket for a rail ticket free of charge, regardless of whether their flight takes place or not.

Aviation security staff are active at checkpoints for passengers, baggage and staff. Without them, normal operations would not be possible. Air traffic is therefore likely to be paralyzed in large parts of Germany. Verdi is demanding, among other things, higher salaries for the approximately 25,000 employees nationwide.

Airports and airlines not involved

ADV Managing Director Ralph Beisel sharply criticized the union's actions: "The airports are not a party to this dispute, but are once again the venue for the conflict of interests. The airport association ADV called on the trade union Verdi to seek a solution at the negotiating table." Passengers need reliability. "We see strike announcements almost daily in Germany to the detriment of mobility and the economy. This must be stopped."

Strikes start at different times

The work stoppages in Koln/Bonn were due to begin on Wednesday evening at 9 p.m. because there is no night flight ban there. Verdi representative Özay Tarim told the German Press Agency that they wanted to send out a clear signal. The employers had behaved "unacceptably" in the negotiations so far. "We will now put pressure on the employers with employees so that we can finally make progress at the negotiating table."

2.80 euros more per hour

In the wage dispute, Verdi is demanding 2.80 euros more pay per hour, higher function bonuses and overtime pay from the first hour of overtime. The new collective agreement is to run for one year. Currently, aviation security assistants in the lowest pay group earn 20.60 euros per hour, which adds up to a gross salary of just under 3,300 euros for 160 monthly working hours. In addition, there are bonuses for night work, Sundays and public holidays as well as overtime. The demand takes into account the loss of purchasing power due to inflation and includes a wage increase, explained Verdi.

According to the employers from the Federal Association of Aviation Security Companies (BDLS), they have offered 4 percent more pay for this year and 3 percent for next year. In addition, overtime bonuses are to be paid earlier than before. Verdi's demands add up to 250 million euros in additional costs this year alone, said a BDLS spokesperson. Contrary to the union's claims, however, not every wage increase can be refinanced via aviation security fees. The wage negotiations are to continue on February 6 and 7 in Berlin. A further round in February has also already been agreed.

Repeated strikes in the infrastructure sector

People in Germany have recently been repeatedly affected by strikes in the transport sector: Last week, a rail strike and walkouts at Lufthansa subsidiary Discover caused restrictions. This Friday, Verdi is calling for warning strikes in local public transport throughout Germany. The last time there were warning strikes in aviation security was in spring 2023 - with a significant impact on operations. At that time, the issue was working conditions./ceb/DP/nas