The airport in Hamburg, Germany’s second largest city, announced the cancellation of all flights on Sunday due to a one-day strike over pay by ground staff, initiated by the labor union Verdi. The strike commenced earlier than anticipated and with minimal warning.
Hamburg Airport had expected to serve over 40,000 passengers on Sunday, with 144 arrival flights and 139 departures. However, only 10 flights operated before the strike began at 6:30 a.m. local time. The airport advised stranded passengers to contact their airlines for assistance.
Katja Bromm, head of communications at the airport, criticized the union for its abrupt action, stating, “The union is paralyzing the airport and without notice right at the beginning of Hamburg’s spring break.” The airport primarily caters to European destinations.
The union, representing public-sector service workers, explained that it advanced the strike by a day and minimized the warning to exert maximum pressure on the employer and prevent the use of nonunion workers.
Lars Stubbe, the Hamburg representative of Verdi, acknowledged the impact on families planning holidays but emphasized that the employer left them no alternative. The Hamburg strike is the first of over a dozen planned actions at airports across Germany on Monday, affecting major airports including Frankfurt, Munich, and Berlin Brandenburg.
Approximately 510,000 individuals are expected to be affected by the planned strike on Monday, with over 3,400 flights canceled, according to the association of Germany’s airport operators. This strike marks an escalation following previous walkouts by Verdi in February.
Stubbe indicated that the strikes aim to increase pressure on employers amid stalled collective bargaining talks, seeking improved conditions for over 25,000 employees in the aviation security sector. Key demands include 30 days of vacation, additional vacation for shift work, and an increase in the annual bonus. The next round of negotiations is scheduled for later this month.
The strikes occur against the backdrop of an economic crisis in Germany, which has seen a slight contraction in its economy last year and a slower recovery from the pandemic compared to other European nations and the United States.
In a recent parliamentary election, the centrist conservative party, the Christian Democrats, received the most votes, signaling a rebuke to the left-leaning government regarding its management of the economy and immigration issues.