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Surprise strikes cause airport delays

Published: 10 Dec 12 08:10 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/money/20121210-46663.html

Travellers at several German airports could experience delays and flights cancellations on Monday, after security personnel walked off the job in a labour dispute.

The surprise strike started at 4:00 am at airports in Düsseldorf, Cologne-Bonn, Stuttgart and Baden-Baden/Karlsruhe, according to Andreas Sander from the Verdi trade union.

Workers in Berlin, Hannover, Bremen, Hamburg and Frankfurt am Main – home to Germany’s largest air hub – quickly followed suit.

Approximately 1,000 security personnel were expected to take part in the strike until noon. As travellers might have difficulty passing airport security checks to their gates, there could likely be widespread delays and flight cancellations.

After labour negotiations broke down in November, Verdi hopes the surprise strike will help improve working conditions for airport security workers.

“Employers have repeatedly failed to react to our demands for an overall offer, instead preferring delaying tactics,” said Sander.

The union has also called for an end to temporary contracts for security personnel, limits on regular working hours, and an expansion of job training in the sector.

The strike came one day after wintry weather snarled air traffic in Germany. Frankfurt Airport cancelled over 150 flights on Sunday due to snowfall.

DAPD/The Local/mry

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09:08 December 10, 2012 by lucksi
So, let them all aboard without security checks. Chances are that nothing will go wrong.

And even if it does; we accept several thousand road deaths and tens of thousands of maimed people as the price of mobility, we can also accept several thousand dead people by terrorism as the price of freedom, can't we not?
16:48 December 10, 2012 by Berlin fuer alles
Another nail in Dr. Merkyl and Mr. Hyde's Euro coffin. Employees in Germany are feeling the pinch in unison with the rest of the Eurozone. It is all downhill for Deutschland after the Euro honeymoon.
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