Tariff dispute: Warning strikes stop pilots, ships and ferries

Warning strikes in the tariff conflict of public service have sometimes led to enormous restrictions on flight or shipping traffic in Germany. According to operators, the airlines on the second largest German airport in Munich canceled around 80 percent of the flights planned for Thursday and Friday.

Accordingly, domestic air traffic was severely affected. In Hanover, Bremen, Berlin, Düsseldorf, Cologne-Bonn, Dresden, Stuttgart and Hamburg, all flights from and from Munich fell on Thursday, as the airports reported on their websites.

The background to the warning strike is the tariff round in the federal public service and the municipalities. Verdi demands eight percent higher wages, but at least 350 euros more per month. In addition, the union demands three additional days off for the employees. According to Verdi, employers have not yet submitted a offer. The third round of negotiations is planned for March 14 to 16 in Potsdam.

In Munich effects even before the warning strike began

In Munich there had been the first cancellations before the warning strike began on Wednesday evening. Around 830 starts and landings were planned for Thursday and Friday. In absolute numbers, 80 percent of the flights corresponds to the fact that over 1,300 machines are expected to start or land as intended on both days. However, this number could increase: “Further cancellations are not excluded,” wrote the airport company.

The warning strike should end on Friday at midnight. This Saturday is the first day of the Bavarian carnival holidays. Lufthansa wants to contact the affected passengers and offers free rebooking or cancellation.

Airport association criticizes the scope of the warning strikes

According to the ADV Airport Association (Working Group of German Concernty Affairs), almost 300,000 passengers cannot start their trip this week. “Two-day strikes that perform German metropolitan regions from international air traffic have nothing to do with warning strikes,” said ADV general manager Ralph Beisel.

The airlines are not involved in the public service in the current tariff round, but are now affected. Verdi called up the airport employees employed in the public service as well as the ground traffic services for work.

Warn strike stops container ships in the port of Hamburg

In Hamburg there was not much left because of the outstanding, especially in the port. All ships that are only allowed to drive through the harbor with a pilot on board have not been able to leave or start, as a spokesman for the Hamburg Port Authority of the German Press Agency said. The background was that the so -called pilot transfer service had also followed the call of the Verdi union to a warning strike. Without them, the pilots don’t come on board the ships.

The corporate association Hafen Hamburg criticized the repeated warning strike. “Even if strike actions represent a constitutionally protected fundamental right, the repeated work of work is not a good flagship and damage to the image of the port of Hamburg. Therefore, we appeal to Verdi to exercise a sense of sense and not to impair the functionality of the port,” said a spokeswoman for the dpa.

The strip in the port is to be maintained by Friday morning, 6 a.m. Then the employees in the port should start their normal service again, as a Verdi spokesman said.

Because of the Verdi warning strike, no ferries from the city ferry line operator HADAG drove on the Elbe. In Hamburg, employees of the airport, city cleaning, the city authorities, the theater and the Federal Employment Agency have also come to the striking in Hamburg.

Apart from the failures of the flights to Munich, flight operations were maintained at Hamburg Airport despite the outline of some employees, as an airport spokeswoman said. That will be the case again on Friday.