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Hundreds of flights have been canceled throughout Germany as airport workers organize a national strike over payment, which represents a great interruption for air travelers.
The industrial action, directed by the Verdi union, began unexpectedly on Sunday at the Hamburg airport, before expanding to a national strike.
The passengers of Frankfurt, Munich, Berlin and other important centers have been urged to not travel to airports, with severely interrupted operations. Frankfurt, the most busy airport in Germany, said the passengers could not board flights and the transfer “almost surely” would be affected.
Verdi, which represents the public sector and transport workers, is in a continuous dispute over wages and working conditions.
The German media report that thousands of flights could be canceled throughout the day, interrupting trips for more than 500,000 passengers.
Lufthansa, whose main center is in Frankfurt, confirmed “extensive delays and cancellations” in all its airlines, while Munich’s airport warned about a “very small flight schedule.”
Katja Bromm, spokesman for the Hamburg Airport, where the 143 scheduled departures on Monday have already been canceled, said Verdi was “dishonorable” to call a strike without prior notice at the beginning of the vacation season.
She said Sunday’s strikes were “excessive and unfair to tens of thousands of travelers who have nothing to do with disputes.”
A Verdi spokesman accepted that the strike would affect many, but told the German media that causing interruption was necessary to extract a better offer from employers.
Many of the 1,770 scheduled flights from Frankfurt airport have already been canceled, while most of Munich’s 820 flights are expected to be canceled.
Hundreds of more cancellations are anticipated in Stuttgart, Dusseldorf, Colonia and Berlin.
Many passengers had already registered their luggage and had trouble returning it, according to the public broadcaster NDR. He also reports that the strike has put at Hanover airport at Hanover airport.
Beyond the airports, Verdi has also requested strikes in waste collection in several German cities, including Berlin, Essen and Kiel, where containers have not been unpleasant since last week.
The union requires a salary increase of 8% for airport workers, or at least € 350 more per month, along with higher bonds and extra free time. Until now, employers have rejected these demands as unavailable.
It was expected that more strikes continue this week at the facilities operated by the federal government and the local authorities, DPA news agency reported, citing a Verdi spokesman.
The next round of conversations will take place on Friday in Potsdam.
