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Airplanes in Frankfurt am Main: Thousands of passengers are likely to be affected by strikes at Germany's largest airport
Photo: Kai Pfaffenbach / REUTERS
The next warning strike at German airports will probably affect even more passengers than initially expected: Parallel to the two-day strike by Lufthansa ground staff, the Ver.di union is now also calling on the aviation security forces in Frankfurt am Main and Hamburg to stop work on Thursday.
The relevant employees are employed by private companies who, on behalf of the Federal Police, check passengers, staff and luggage at the entrances to the security area.
The announcement has far-reaching consequences for passengers: they will probably not be able to enter the affected airports from outside.
Although the aviation security forces are only scheduled to strike on Thursday, Lufthansa is also expecting massive flight cancellations on Friday, especially at its hubs in Frankfurt am Main and Munich, due to the strike by ground staff.
Around 1,000 flights will be canceled on each of the two days and around 100,000 passengers will be affected, according to the airline.
The aviation security forces in particular have a high strike force: According to estimates by the industry association ADV, around 1,100 flights were canceled during their first wave of warning strikes on February 1st at eleven major airports because passengers could no longer get into the security areas.
So far, five rounds of negotiations in aviation security have failed to produce any results; a sixth negotiation is scheduled for March 20th.
Specifically, it concerns the working conditions of around 25,000 employees of private security service providers: Ver.di is demanding an hourly wage increase of 2.80 euros over a period of twelve months with overtime bonuses starting more quickly from the first overtime hour.
According to their own information, the employers from the Federal Association of Aviation Security Companies (BDLS) have offered 2.70 euros in three stages with a term of 24 months.
There will also be flight cancellations at the Austrian Lufthansa subsidiary Austrian Airlines on Friday: around 150 flights will be canceled due to an originally planned company meeting.
Although the meeting was postponed, the airline is sticking to the planned cancellations for logistical reasons.
The reason for the company meetings of the AUA on-board staff is stalled collective bargaining for the total of 3,500 employees in the cabin and cockpit.
spr/dpa