Verdi union wage dispute Strike on Thursday at Cologne/Bonn Airport
COLOGNE/BONN · Flights at Cologne/Bonn Airport will see some heavy disruptions on Thursday and anyone flying from Düsseldorf Airport will also be affected. The Verdi union has called on security personnel to hold a day-long strike.
The services union Verdi has called on security personnel at three airports to hold all-day warning strikes on Thursday. Verdi announced on Wednesday that the airports in Düsseldorf, Cologne/Bonn and Stuttgart will all be affected. The union warned that "severe restrictions in air traffic" should be expected.
In Stuttgart, the strike will start with the first morning shift on Thursday at 3 am, in Düsseldorf and Cologne/Bonn already at midnight. On Monday, a four-hour warning strike by security personnel at Berlin's Tegel and Schoenefeld airports almost completely paralyzed flight operations.
The background of the warning strikes is a wage dispute with the Federal Association of Aviation Security Companies (BDLS). After the warning strikes in Berlin, employers had an opportunity to submit an improved offer, said Verdi negotiator Benjamin Roscher. If such an offer would continue to be delayed, further work stoppages could not be ruled out.
Verdi demands an increase of the hourly wage in security controlled areas to 20 euros. According to the union, the airport employer had previously offered an increase of 1.8 to 2 percent per year for a two-year term. Verdi rejected this offer as too low.
(Orig. text: afp; Translation: ck)
