Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER), the third largest airport in Germany, will cancel all departures due to a one-day strike of air security staff.
The walkout, which is expected to start at around 1.30 p.m. (local time) on April 23, 2023, will affect several dozens of scheduled flights and hinder travel plans for hundreds of passengers. The temporary disruptions should end at midnight on the same day.
“Due to the announced warning strike at the aviation security controls, no departures are possible on Monday. Arriving flights may also be affected by cancellations and changes to the flight schedule due to the strike,” was written on the BER airport website.
“Passengers affected by the strike are asked to contact their airline or travel agent for information on rebooking and alternative travel options,” was recommended in the statement.
The strike, which is organized by Berlin-based German trade union ver.di, is called over the ongoing wage dispute between the Federal Association of Aviation Security Companies (BDLS) and airport employees.
“The background to this is that ver.di has been negotiating with the Federal Association of Aviation Security Companies (BDLS) for years in order to increase pay for night shifts, Saturday, Sunday, and holiday work as well as a better collective agreement on the remuneration of overtime for airport security staff at commercial airports,” the union explained in a statement released on April 22, 2023.
“Employers do not want to pay any bonuses for overtime/overtime for full-time and part-time employees in the future,” it concluded.
In the meantime, the union has also officially urged the BDLS to present a negotiable solution until April 28, 2023. Otherwise, it warned that employees would repeatedly go on strike in May 2023.
Air security staff working at other airports across Germany, including Düsseldorf (DUS), Hamburg (HAM), and Cologne/Bonn (CGN), went on strike over the same issue on April 21 and April 22, 2023.
