More strikes loom at German airports as unions target aviation sector

Strikes at German airline Lufthansa continued to force the cancellation of hundreds of flights on Wednesday amid a wave of disruptive labour disputes in German transport.

Cabin crews at Lufthansa pushed forward with a second day of strikes against the airline on Wednesday, this time with Munich-based Lufthansa and Lufthansa CityLine flight attendants going on strike beginning at 4 am (0300 GMT), with the action set to last until 11 pm.

Further rolling strikes are expected on Thursday and Friday at a number of German airports by unionized aviation security staff who screen passengers and luggages.

According to the trade union verdi, Thursday's all-day strike by aviation security staff will affect five airports: Hamburg, Stuttgart, Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden, Cologne and Berlin.

Further strikes on Friday by aviation security staff will hit five other airports: Hanover, Dortmund, Weeze, Dresden, Leipzig and Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden. Hanover Airport announced that all departures on Friday have been cancelled between midnight and noon, but that arrivals would not be affected.

At Munich Airport, verdi has called on employees in personnel and goods control as well as cargo control to strike from 4 am on Thursday until 6 am on Friday, which will mainly affected cargo.

Lufthansa cabin crew's strike in Munich on Wednesday is due to end around 11 pm. Lufthansa estimated that a total of around 400 aircraft would be grounded on Wednesday by the labour dispute with the cabin crew trade union Ufo, with 50,000 passengers affected.

The strike in Munich came a day after Ufo flight attendants at Lufthansa's primary hub in Frankfurt staged a day-long strike on Tuesday, which caused 600 flights to be cancelled and affected an estimated 70,000 passengers.

Last week, hundreds of Lufthansa flights were cancelled due to earlier ground staff strikes also organized by verdi. Both verdi and Ufo are demanding pay increases from Lufthansa.

The striking aviation security staff, meanwhile, work for private security companies that contract with the airports to screen passengers, staff and baggage before entering secure areas of airports. The roughly 25,000 private security workers are also represented by the verdi trade union, one of Germany's largest.

The security workers are demanding an hourly wage increase of €2.80 ($3.06) and better overtime benefits. The security firms have countered with offers of a €2.70 hourly raise phased in over a longer period.

Germany's transport sector has been roiled by a wave of labour actions in recent weeks.

A separate strike against German national railway Deutsche Bahn ended early on Wednesday morning at 2 am. Deutsche Bahn was forced to cancel about 80% of long-distance trains during the strike by the GDL train drivers' union.

Freight trains, regional passenger service and Deutsche Bahn's suburban commuter rail service were also affected by the strike, the GDL union's sixth in recent months amid bitter talks over the union's demand for a shorter 35-hour working week.

Last week, local public transit agency workers in much of Germany went on strike to demand more favourable working conditions.

Lufthansa is also in collective bargaining talks with German ground staff, also represented by the verdi trade union, who are demanding 12.5% raises over the next 12 months for the roughly 25,000 Lufthansa employees who handle luggage, work at customer service counters and other airport tasks.

Ground staff went on strike against Lufthansa last week to drive home their demands ahead of the next round of negotiations, which resumed on Wednesday.

"Both sides have the will to reach an agreement. We are not separated by personal issues, we are separated by money," verdi negotiator Marvin Reschinsky told dpa. "The company still has to move if it does not want to risk further strikes."

Verdi is demanding 12.5% more pay for a 12-month term for the approximately 25,000 ground staff, while the company has so far offered 10% for a 28-month term.

The cabin crew trade union Ufo is demanding 15% more pay for approximately 18,000 staff at Lufthansa and the almost 1,000 employees of the regional subsidiary Lufthansa CityLine for a contract period of 18 months. The union also wants an inflation adjustment bonus of €3,000 ($3,278) and higher bonuses.

Lufthansa's small holdiay airline subsidiary, Discover, has also seen repeated strikes by pilots, who are seeking to win their first collective bargaining agreement at the airline.

Lufthansa's head of human resources, Michael Niggemann, appealed to the union on Tuesday to reach a deal and end the strikes.

"Last year's results show that if we work together, if we fly, then we can also generate these record profits," Niggemann said, arguing that striking is "the wrong way - striking burns money."

Lobbyists and leaders of Germany's aviation industry complained about the numerous strikes in recent months, which have repeatedly caused widespread delays or cancellations.

Some top industry lobbyists called for new government restrictions on strikes in the transportation sector.

"Airports are part of the critical infrastructure and must be protected from strike escalations," said the leader of Germany's airport operator association ADV, Ralph Beisel.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, a Social Democrat, rejected any such limits on the right to strike - such as deadlines or mandatory arbitration - during debate in parliament on Wednesday.

He said Germany's labour movement has fought hard to win those rights and trade unions generally exercise their right to strike responsibly.

"There are many more strikes and wage disputes in other countries," Scholz said.