Germany: Hundreds of flights have been cancelled due to a warning strike
Hundreds of flights were cancelled today at airports in Berlin, Bremen, Hanover and Hamburg due to a warning strike. The protest action by airport staff comes amid difficult talks with employers and the authorities over pay rises.
While unions are demanding a pay rise of more than 10%, employers have so far offered only a 5% increase and one-off payments of €2,500 per employee - which unions have rejected as insufficient.
Negotiations are also taking place on wages for air safety and ground service workers. Disputes that have dragged on for several years are over pay for hours worked at night, weekends and holidays.
A wave of strikes and protests has hit several European economies, including France, Britain and Spain, as higher food and energy prices hit living standards after the Covid pandemic and the war in Ukraine.
