Frankfurt International Airport (FRA) has warned of “major disruptions and flight cancellations” on Tuesday after airport security staff announced they would stage a 24-hour “warning strike” in protest at stalled negotiations over pay and conditions.
In a statement, Frankfurt airport said it would be forced to close all of its passenger security screening points for passengers starting their journey in Frankfurt on Tuesday. The airport hopes to keep transfer passenger screening lanes open but warned of the potential for delays and disruption.
As well as Frankfurt, strikes by security officers are expected at Hamburg (HAM), Stuttgart (STR) and Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden Airport (FKB) on Tuesday. Warning strikes are already underway at six German airports on Monday, including Berlin (BER), Cologne (CGN) and Dusseldorf (DUS).
Lufthansa warned of “considerable restrictions” in its flight schedule as a result of the strike and advised passengers hoping to fly on Monday or Tuesday to reduce the amount of hand luggage they brought with them as much as possible.
The Ver.di union has orchestrated the walkouts after three rounds of negotiations failed to break a deadlock with the Federal Association of Aviation Security Companies over revised pay for approximately 25,000 airport security officers.
Wolfgang Pieper, a negotiator for the union suggested a sticking point was a traditional disparity in pay between East and West Germany.
The union is demanding a pay rise of at least 1 Euro per hour. Workers at Munich (MUN) airport are also been called on to take part in the strike.
Ver.di claims the German aviation industry is struggling to recruit enough workers to meet the post-pandemic demand. Similar recruitment issues are affecting the aviation industry across Europe and North America.
