Strikes in Germany: Major Airports Affected
The public sector is carrying out strikes in Germany today, on the 27th of February. The region of the event is the state of North Rhine Westphalia (NRW). The protests are creating significant disturbances. Dusseldorf International Airport & the Cologne Bonn Airport are experiencing remarkable flight cancellations. Subsequently, public transport is also affected.
The strike began with employees on the night shift on 26th Feb, Sunday, and will last a total of 24 hours.
The Dusseldorf International Airport (DUS) witnessed the cancellation of approximately 200 flights on the 26th Feb, Sunday. On the other hand, the Cologne Bonn Airport (CGN) expects the cancellation of most of its passenger flights, 131 out of 136, today.
What led to the Strikes in Germany?
Two trade unions, Ver.di & Komba, are urging their members to stop working. They are calling these protests ‘warning strikes’ in the face of insufficient pay against rising inflation.
Both trade unions have a vast membership. Ver.di has approximately 1.9 million members and Komba has about 80,000.
The strikes in Germany are now a long-running dispute with the federal & local governments. Many strikes have been held all over the country in recent weeks. The most notable one was on 17th Feb. That time, almost 300,000 passengers were affected and flights were disrupted at seven major airports. The airports in Frankfurt & Munich were part of the seven.
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The strikes, which began last year because of rising inflation, continue because public sector workers have not been offered an acceptable deal. Ground control personnel, firefighters, and many more who serve in various capacities for state-owned airports are examples of public sector employees at airports.
A Ver.di official had also said that their union had tried to lessen public inconvenience by announcing their strike on Friday.
Over 2.5 million people in the public sector are affected by the TVÖD, the Collective Agreement of the Public Service. These include federal & municipality employees, interns, vocational students, & civil servants among others.
People Demand an Increase in Pay
To compensate for soaring inflation, Verdi demands a 10.5 percent pay increase for federal and local government employees or an extra €500 per month for the coming year. A promise to renegotiate the terms again after 12 months is being demanded.
They also say that there has been no real progress in the seven rounds of negotiations that have taken place in Potsdam since 2020. The public sector is not satisfied.
If successful, this would provide a pay hike for all public sector employees.
The unions have teamed with many other significant public sector unions to exert pressure on the government. Another round of negotiations will take place in Potsdam from 27 to 29 March.
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