The two largest airports in North Rhine-Westphalia, Düsseldorf and Cologne/Bonn, are largely returning to normal operations after the end of all-day warning strikes and the cancellation of a total of hundreds of flights. Cologne/Bonn Airport stated that 117 passenger flights were scheduled and 3 of them were canceled due to strikes. A spokesman for Cologne/Bonn Airport said there could still be delays in flight operations beyond the end of the strike. Flight operations will run normally at Düsseldorf Airport, a spokesman said.
Hundreds of flights were canceled at the two largest airports on Friday. The Verdi union had called on employees in passenger control, personnel, goods and freight control and public services to walk out. According to the company, almost all passenger flights have been canceled in Cologne/Bonn. Of the originally planned 148 take-offs and landings, 144 could not take place. According to a spokesman, around 18,000 travelers were affected. Two thirds of the flights in Düsseldorf were canceled on Friday. Here, 264 of 391 planned take-offs and landings failed, as a spokesman explained.
According to its own information, Verdi has been in negotiations with the Federal Association of Aviation Security Companies for years to increase the time surcharges for night, Saturday, Sunday and public holiday work. In addition, a better collective bargaining agreement for the payment of overtime for the security and service staff at commercial airports should be achieved. Collective bargaining in the public sector is about federal and local employees. Verdi and the civil servants’ association dbb are demanding 10.5 percent more income for the approximately 2.5 million employees nationwide, but at least 500 euros more per month.
