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TEHRAN, Jan 15 - Strike over salaries by German airport security personnel have led to the cancelation of hundreds of flights in Germany’s busiest travel hub of Frankfurt and seven other key airports across the country.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) - At least 220,000 travelers will be hit by the cancelations as well as delays on Tuesday. The strikes would last from 02:00 am on the day until 8:00 pm local time (0100-1900 GMT) at the key airports of Frankfurt, Munich, Hanover, Bremen, Hamburg, Leipzig, Dresden, and Erfurt, according to Germany’s powerful Verdi union.
No passengers will be able to board flights at the Frankfurt airport except those who arrive in transit.
“Due to a strike by the security staff at the airport, Lufthansa Group flights to and from Frankfurt will be considerably impaired,” said Germany’s top Lufthansa airlines, which is worst hit by the strikes.
“Security checks outside the transit area are not occupied. If you start your journey in Frankfurt, you will not be able to reach your flight during the entire strike period,” it further emphasized. “Lufthansa therefore asks you not to go to the airport.”
The coordinated industrial action points to a major escalation in Verdi’s row with German employers, following walkouts last Monday at Berlin’s airports, as well as in Stuttgart, Cologne/Bonn, and Dusseldorf last Thursday.
Lufthansa accused the labor union of ramping up tensions “to an unacceptable extent,” with the ADV airport association slamming the series of strikes as “irresponsible.”
“Verdi is unjustifiably carrying out these strikes on the backs of travelers, airlines, and airports,” ADV’s chief Ralph Beisel said in a statement.
However, Verdi — which represents nearly 23,000 aviation security staff — responded by insisting that it was forced to ramp up pressure because talks with the employers’ association BDLS remained stalled.
“Employers did not respond to last week’s warning strikes at all; they haven’t come up with an improved offer,” said Verdi board member Ute Kittel during an interview with public broadcaster ZDF.
Lufthansa also accused Verdi of having “no interest in making its contribution to improving Germany as an aviation location.”
“We already have the lowest quality security checks at the highest costs, compared to Europe and other countries around the world,” Lufthansa board member Detlef Kayser said.
The ongoing labor dispute marks the latest turmoil for air travelers in Germany, after a wave of strikes by Ryanair cabin and cockpit crew in the second of half of 2018 — including two pan-European walkouts — led to huge disruptions.
Source: Press TV
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