Nothing will work at Berlin Airport on Wednesday: there will be a strike from 5 am until 11:59 pm on 18 March. Travellers who want to fly out of or arrive in the German capital on this day will have to reschedule. Around 57,000 passengers will be affected, according to the airport company itself.
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The trade union ver.di has called on the employees of Berlin Brandenburg Airport to go on a warning strike. The BER management has criticised the planned strike by around 2,000 employees.
"We consider a warning strike to be disproportionate - especially in a situation that is already very tense due to the war in Iran," explained Aletta von Massenbach, Chairwoman of the Airport Company's Management Board.
Flight booked to or from Berlin - what now?
Originally, around 445 departures and landings were planned for the day, according to the airport company. Around 57,000 passengers will not be able to depart from Berlin on this day and will also not be able to land there.
Affected passengers are asked to contact their airline for information on rebooking and alternative travel options, according to the official announcement from BER Airport.
The airlines affected by the strike must inform the affected travellers about the cancellations. For flights that have not been booked directly through the airline, for example package holidays, the respective tour operator is responsible.
The 2,000 employees who have been called out on strike include staff from the fire service, traffic management and terminal management. As a result, smooth operations will no longer be possible without these employees on 18 March and flight operations cannot be maintained.
What the wage negotiations are about
The next round of negotiations is already scheduled for 25 March. The airport company expressed confidence that an agreement could be reached on this date.
The airport operator had recently offered a pay rise in several stages. However, the trade union ver.di accuses the employers of a "blockade attitude".
The union has rejected an offer from the employers for a gradual wage increase until the end of 2028. It proposed a wage increase of 1% to 1.5% per year with a three-year term. Among other things, the union is demanding a 6% increase.
"This is not a serious offer," commented the union's chief negotiator, Holger Rößler. "Anyone who offers employees practically just one per cent more pay per year over several years while the cost of living rises shows no appreciation for their work," he continued, describing the offer as a "provocation".
The union wants to use the strike to exert pressure and thus obtain a new "significantly improved offer". The airport company declared the extent of the strike to be "disproportionate".
Pilots' strike in February already led to cancellations
The pilots last went on strike in February this year. This affected Lufthansa flights, but also those of the cargo airline Lufthansa Cargo, which take off from German soil. There were also strikes on journeys by cockpit employees to their place of work, standby and reserve services and simulator training.
Several airports in neighbouring Belgium also had to shut down operations on 12 March due to strikes. Several Belgian trade unions called a strike at the time. They were protesting against unpaid overtime and pension reforms. The work stoppages affected numerous sectors, including public transport and airport operations.