Planned strike expands to Frankfurt, other German airports

BERLIN — A German labour union has expanded a planned strike by security staff at Frankfurt Airport on Tuesday to include several other airports, including Hamburg.

News agency dpa reported that the ver.di union on Sunday announced the one-day walkout at Hamburg, two days after calling the strike at Frankfurt, Germany’s busiest hub.

Walkouts are also expected Tuesday at the smaller Hannover, Bremen, Leipzig-Halle, Dresden and Erfurt airports. The union wants hourly pay for all workers conducting security checks to rise to 20 euros ($23.10). Employers association BDLS says the amount could amount to a 30-per cent increase in some cases. Ver.di says it’s waiting for employers to make a negotiable offer for around 23,000 security staff.

Earlier strikes resulted in hundreds of flight cancellations at the airports in Duesseldorf, Cologne-Bonn, Stuttgart and Berlin.

The Associated Press/ The Canadian Press