After the warning strike by aviation security forces on Friday, air traffic has started again at the affected airports. In Dortmund and Weeze, where there was an all-day strike on Friday, traffic was back to normal on Saturday. No delays or cancellations were reported on the websites. Some other airports had already resumed flight operations on Friday.
The Verdi union had called on aviation security workers at Dortmund, Weeze, Dresden, Leipzig/Halle, Hanover and Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden airports to go on a warning strike. A Verdi spokesman confirmed on Saturday that the strike went as planned and has now come to an end. “We are very happy with how things went, also because we went on strike at some airports for the first time.”
With the warning strikes, Verdi wants to increase the pressure on employers before the next round of negotiations on March 20th. This concerns the wages and working conditions of around 25,000 employees of private security service providers. On behalf of the Federal Police, they check passengers, staff and luggage at the entrances to the security area. In the five rounds of negotiations so far, Verdi and the Federal Association of Aviation Security Companies (BDLS) have not come to an agreement.
Arbitration proceedings as a glimmer of hope
The warning strike by aviation security forces marks the end of a turbulent week in aviation. Warning strikes by security staff at five German airports had already largely brought operations to a standstill on Thursday. Airports in Berlin, Hamburg, Stuttgart, Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden and Cologne/Bonn were affected. In the previous days, some Lufthansa flight attendants had also gone on strike.
There is a glimmer of hope around two weeks before Easter in the collective bargaining dispute among Lufthansa ground staff. They are now seeking arbitration proceedings. Verdi believes an agreement by Holy Saturday at the latest is realistic.