Jakarta, Indonesia Sentinel — Air travel across Germany was thrown into chaos on Monday as workers at 13 airports staged a massive strike, halting a significant portion of the country’s air traffic. The action stems from an ongoing dispute involving public sector employees and aviation security personnel.
According to Antara, the strike was triggered by two separate disputes. The first involving public sector workers. Verdi labor union is demanding an 8% pay raise or at least €350 ($382) per month, along with an additional three days of leave for 2.5 million public sector workers.
The second set of demands pertains to aviation security personnel responsible for passenger screenings, cargo inspections, and other safety-related tasks. Verdi is pushing for improved workplace health and safety measures, 30 days of annual leave, additional time off for shift work, and the right for employees to choose their own doctors for mandatory medical competency exams.
Verdi states that the 24-hour strike across airports in Germany was organized to intensify pressure during ongoing negotiations. The striking workers include public service airport staff, ground crews, and security personnel. The disruption continued into Tuesday, causing widespread delays and cancellations.
Strike Impact
As a result of the strike, operations at Frankfurt, Germany’s busiest airport were severely affected, alongside disruptions at Munich, Stuttgart, Dortmund, Hanover, Bremen, Hamburg, Berlin Brandenburg, and Leipzig/Halle airports.
Germany’s air traffic control agency reported that approximately 6,000 daily flight movements occur at German airports, with an additional 3,000 flights passing through German airspace.
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According to flight tracking service Flightradar24, more than 2,600 flights were canceled between Sunday and Monday afternoon, including all scheduled departures from Berlin.
Lufthansa was the hardest-hit airline, canceling 962 flights, while its subsidiary Eurowings, which operates short-haul services, scrapped 252 flights. At Hamburg Airport, 143 departures and nearly half of all scheduled arrivals were scrapped on Monday.
“This disproportionate strike is affecting many people who are not involved, some of whom have saved for a long time for their vacations or are hoping to reunite with friends and family,” said airport spokesperson Janet Niemeyer.
As the negotiation over the workers demands take place, Verdi has warned that further airports strike across Germany are likely to continue throughout the week, potentially causing more disruptions across the country.
(Raidi/Agung)
