This week, both Deutsche Bahn train drivers and Lufthansa security staff went on strike. German Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) has now called on unions to refrain from industrial action in travel transport at least until Easter.
“I appeal to the unions to declare an Easter peace if the collective labor disputes in rail and air transport are not resolved before the start of the holidays,” the minister said on Thursday. “(…) We must also meet the needs of the population.” After all, families are not parties to collective labor agreements and do not have to worry about not being able to see each other during the holidays. The exact timing of the Easter holidays in Germany varies depending on the state; the first ones start next weekend.
90,000 passengers affected by Lufthansa strike
Large parts of rail and air travel in Germany have come to a standstill in recent days. The strike at Deutsche Bahn took place on Tuesday and on Thursday around 90,000 people were affected by the strikes by Lufthansa security staff (see video above). These included the locations of Berlin, Hamburg, Stuttgart, Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden and Cologne/Bonn.
All departures were canceled because passengers and goods could no longer pass through security checks. There were also numerous failures during the landings. According to estimates by the airport association ADV, more than 580 flight connections will probably be canceled. On Friday, the Verdi union also called for warning strikes in Hannover, Dortmund, Weeze, Dresden, Leipzig and also in Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden.
The ground crew was already on strike
Lufthansa has approximately 25,000 employees in the security services. So far, five rounds of negotiations have failed to resolve the conflict. Over a period of twelve months, Verdi demands an increase in the hourly wage of 2.80 euros and overtime bonuses that start sooner from the first hour of overtime. The week before, the ground staff went on strike for higher wages.
Source: Krone
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