Passengers travelling in and out of six major German airports faced flight cancellations and delays on Monday, after security staff went on strike. 

Security staff walk out at six German airports

The trade union ver.di called the day-long “warning” walkout, which began just after midnight on Monday, March 14, in response to a collective bargaining dispute between the union and the Federal Association of Aviation Security Companies. 

Around 1.350 workers across Germany were expected to take part in the industrial action, affecting flights at the major airports in Cologne-Bonn, Düsseldorf, Berlin, Bremen, Hannover and Leipzig. In Cologne-Bonn, more than half of scheduled flights were cancelled on Monday; major disruptions are also expected in Düsseldorf and at Berlin BER. 

Passengers have been told to check ahead of travelling to the airport whether their flight is still going ahead, and to allow plenty of extra time if they are. 

Trade union threatens more industrial action

Ver.di is negotiating with the employers’ association ADV on a new collective agreement that will affect around 25.000 security staff across the country. So far, three rounds of negotiations have failed to produce a satisfactory outcome for both sides, with ver.di criticising the employers’ offers as “insufficient”. 

The union is demanding that hourly wages rise by at least one euro, for uniform salaries across the country, and for more salary parity between different jobs. ADV has criticised the action as “disproportionate”.