Fresh round of transport strikes in Germany leads to 700 flight cancellations

Security workers at three major German airports have waged the first of yet another round of strike action called by the country's Verdi trade union, leading to cancellation of nearly 700 departing flights.

An estimated 100,000 people will be affected by the protest action over low pay waged by aviation security workers on Thursday and Friday at airports in major cities of Dusseldorf, Hamburg and Cologne Bonn, airport association ADV declared, prompting the cancellation of around 700 flights.

The sectors impacted by the strike include the aviation security area, passenger control, personnel and goods control and service areas. 

“The situation in the terminals today is the same as previous Verdi strikes this year: departure terminals are empty, the situation is calm,” a Hamburg airport spokesperson said in a statement.

Longer waiting times, delays and cancellations are expected. Hamburg Airport has announced that no regular departures will be possible from Wednesday 10 pm to Friday 11 pm, while further cancellations and delays anticipated for arriving flights.

Europe-wide strikes spread to Germany

Germany is faced with transport disruptions resulting from a cost of living mega strike. Airports, bus and train stations, across Germany have come to a standstill.

The strike comes amid stalled wage negotiations with the Federal Association of Aviation Security Companies (BDLS) for years to increase the supplement for night, Saturday, Sunday and public holiday work, as well as a better collective bargaining agreement for overtime pay for security and service staff at commercial airports.

Supplement payments have not been improved since 2006, with negotiations for an increase starting in 2013. Most recently, it was agreed in early 2019 to continue negotiations. In 2020, the pandemic halted any progress but negotiations resumed in 2022 although six rounds of meetings throughout the year proved inconclusive.

On Friday the strike is set to widen as Verdi has called on security staff at Stuttgart airport to join the walkouts, prompting the airport to cancel all departures.

In addition to the airport strikes, German railway and transport union EVG called for a nationwide transport strike on Friday, impacting around 50 companies, including national rail operator Deutsche Bahn.

Germany mega-strike: Nationwide transport strike begins, causing travel chaos

Germany faces a major transport disruption as workers at airports, ports, railways, buses and metro lines started a nationwide strike on Monday, demanding pay hikes amid soaring inflation.

In recent months, Germany has been hit by strikes in several sectors, including the postal service, airports and local transport. Workers demand higher pay to cope with soaring inflation and the rapidly aggravating cost-of-living crisis.

In the first three and a half months of 2023, over 900,000 passengers were forced to reschedule or even cancel their flights due to Verdi strikes.

While the strikes are causing disruption to travelers, workers hope that they will ultimately result in better working conditions and pay.

Europe grapples with industrial action across the continent

Protesters have returned to major cities across Europe to voice their anger of the rising cost of living across the continent, exacerbated by the needless assignment of funds to the war in Ukraine.

Germany, however, is not the only country to deal with massive strikes. The strikes in Germany are part of major industrial actions that have hit major European economies as higher food and energy prices have dented living standards.

In the UK, the government is engaged in pay disputes across several sectors as workers demand higher wages to keep pace with surging inflation, with strikes at schools, railways, and, hospitals, taking place on a regular basis.

And in France, which has witnessed days of strikes and protests over the controversial pension reforms, people are angry over the overhaul, which includes increasing the retirement age from 62 to 64.

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