A day-long strike at Berlin-Brandenburg airport paralyzed hundreds of flights and tens of thousands of passengers. The unions have hardened in the fight for a more significant increase in salaries.
Passenger traffic came to a complete halt at the international airport in the German capital Berlin on Wednesday. It happened because of the strike of the Verdi trade union, which is related to the salary evaluation of employees. TASR informs about it according to the report of the DPA agency.
The day-long strike began in the early hours of the morning and will affect around 445 arrivals and departures and a total of around 57,000 passengers. Some flights were canceled in advance and passengers were advised to contact their airlines and inquire about alternative means of transportation or rescheduling their travel dates.
Union requirements
Verdi, one of Europe’s largest trade unions, is negotiating staff pay conditions with Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg (FBB), which operates Berlin-Brandenburg Airport. It is asking for a pay rise of six percent, or at least 250 euros, for 2,000 people as part of a new collective agreement that would apply for a year. At the same time, he promotes an extra day off for employees.
Employer representatives presented an initial offer last week that the union said would mean an average pay increase of one percent a year until 2028. “This is not a serious offer, but a provocation,” the union’s chief negotiator, Holger Roessler, said in a statement.
Reaction of employers
FBB CEO Aletta von Massenbach called the strike “disproportionate, especially in a situation that is already very tense due to the war in Iran.”
Further talks are scheduled for March 25, and in her statement, von Massenbach expressed confidence that an agreement would be reached during them.
