© dpa
Due to a warning strike by security staff, around 200 departures will be cancelled at the capital's airport BER on Monday.
About 27,000 passengers will be affected, an airport spokesman said on Saturday. The extent to which arriving flights are also affected depends on the airlines, according to the spokesperson. Passengers should check the flight status with their airline.
The trade union Verdi has called for a warning strike. Security staff at Hamburg, Hanover and Bremen airports are also to take part in the industrial action. Longer waiting times and even flight cancellations are to be expected, Verdi announced on Saturday.
The union cited as background the so far unsuccessful collective bargaining for an appropriate payment for aviation security workers for working at inconvenient hours. According to Verdi, it has been negotiating with the Federal Association of Aviation Security Companies (BDLS) for years. No statement was initially available from the federal association.
The surcharges have not been improved since 2006, and there have been talks about an increase since 2013, Verdi stressed. It was last agreed to continue negotiations at the beginning of 2019. According to Verdi, they were started in January and continued in February 2020. Because of the pandemic, the talks were not continued by the BDLS. According to the union, the BDLS was only prepared to negotiate the demands through a renewed agreement in the 2022 pay round. The employers had not submitted an offer so far.
The warning strike at BER airport is scheduled to start at 3:30 am on Monday morning and end at midnight. Verdi expects around 300 participants. A rally is planned in front of the BER terminal on Willy-Brandt-Platz. Last January, there were already considerable restrictions due to strikes at the BER. At that time, central work areas were struck for an entire day and flight operations were completely suspended for the entire day. Around 35,000 passengers were affected by the fact that about 300 take-offs and landings were cancelled.