Again warning strikes at the two largest NRW airports
3:30 a.m.: Warning strikes by security personnel at Düsseldorf and Cologne/Bonn airports are expected to lead to numerous flight cancellations on Friday. The Verdi union has called on workers in private security firms to walk out. This is intended to increase the pressure on employers to raise the surcharges for night and Sunday services as soon as possible. There had already been strikes on Thursday, around 80 percent of flight movements did not take place in Cologne-Bonn and around 50 percent in Düsseldorf. Both airports are again expecting major consequences of the warning strike on Friday.
Travelers are advised to obtain information from their airline or tour operator in good time and to reschedule if necessary. Airlines may also move some flights to alternative locations, such as Münster-Osnabrück or Paderborn-Lippstadt airports. Düsseldorf Airport is also appealing to passengers to reduce their hand luggage to a minimum and thereby speed up the checks.
Warning strike on the railways has begun
Friday, April 21, 03:11: The warning strike in rail traffic, which lasted several hours, has begun. “The warning strikes will start in these minutes. The shifts that are running now are going into the strike phase,” said a spokesman for the railway and transport union (EVG) early on Friday morning. Numerous employees followed the call and stopped work at 3 a.m. Especially on Friday morning there should hardly be a train.
Die Deutsche Bahn will not start long-distance traffic until 1 p.m. on Friday due to the warning strike, local and regional traffic will also be largely canceled nationwide in the morning. The warning strike is expected to last until 11 a.m. However, the effects of the industrial action could be felt for a little longer, for long-distance traffic Deutsche Bahn warned of possible impairments into the evening hours.
There will also be restrictions in air traffic again on Friday: the Verdi union will continue to strike at Hamburg, Cologne/Bonn and Düsseldorf airports, as it did on Thursday – and this Friday also at Stuttgart and Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden airports.
Warning strikes on Friday paralyze long-distance and regional trains
11:00 o’clock: The railway and transport union EVG has also called on workers at the Transdev railway company to go on warning strikes on Friday. The Transdev Group includes the Nordwestbahn, the Bayerische Oberlandbahn and the Mitteldeutsche Regiobahn. Despite the threat of a strike, the union announced on Thursday that only a slightly changed offer had been made during the wage negotiations on Wednesday. Therefore, the Transdev group will also be on strike from 3:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
The EVG had already announced a major warning strike in rail transport for Friday on Wednesday, but initially kept open a work stoppage at Transdev because of the pending negotiations. According to the EVG, these were now unsuccessful. “The impression is getting more and more that the employers are consciously looking for a confrontation with the EVG in this collective bargaining round. There is a lot of talk about appreciation, but in fact attempts are made to save wherever possible, ”said EVG collective bargaining officer Cosima Ingenschay according to the announcement.
The warning strike on Friday morning is expected to lead to numerous train cancellations and delays. According to Deutsche Bahn, long-distance traffic will stop by 1 p.m., but impairments could also be possible into the evening hours. Local and regional transport is also expected to come to a standstill in the morning and morning, but the ramp-up of operations should be faster after the end of the warning strike.
Because of the warning strike, tens of thousands of passengers have to rebook
Thursday, April 20, 09:46: Numerous flights are canceled at these airports today and tomorrow due to the warning strike:
Hamburg Airport: All passenger departures have been canceled, according to the airport. In addition, more than 30 arrivals are said to be canceled on Thursday. The Verdi union has also called on its members to walk out at Düsseldorf, Cologne/Bonn and Stuttgart airports. Originally, 152 starts were planned for Thursday and 156 for Friday. The airport announced that around 80,000 passengers were affected by the warning strike. The airport asked travelers to contact their airline and not to come to the airport.
Dusseldorf Airport: At least 91 departures and 69 landings will be canceled at Düsseldorf Airport on Thursday.
Cologne/Bonn Airport: At least 121 flights are to be canceled on Thursday due to a warning strike at Cologne/Bonn Airport. Employees in goods and freight control have been on strike since Wednesday evening and in passenger control since Thursday morning, according to a Verdi spokesman. Hardly any passengers were to be seen at the airport on Thursday night and in the morning, as the airport announced. The early announcement would have given many guests time to prepare for the warning strike. According to the airport, 64 take-offs and 57 landings were canceled for Thursday. More may follow.
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warning strikes obstruct traffic at several airports
Thursday, April 20, 6:20 a.m.: At several German airports, passengers have to be prepared for numerous delays and cancellations on Thursday and Friday. Two-day warning strikes began at night at Düsseldorf, Hamburg and Cologne/Bonn airports, and a full-day strike is to follow in Stuttgart on Friday.
The employees in the aviation security area, in passenger control, in personnel and goods control and in service areas were called upon. According to the airports and Verdi, passengers must expect delays and many flight cancellations. The aviation industry criticized the renewed strike.
The background to the warning strikes are the negotiations between Verdi and the Federal Association of Aviation Security Companies (BDLS) about time supplements for night, Saturday, Sunday and public holiday work as well as better collective bargaining regulations for overtime pay for security and service staff at commercial airports. Negotiations are scheduled to continue on April 27th and 28th.
warning strike announced in the energy sector: “the last chance for a peaceful agreement”
Wednesday, April 19, 7:43 p.m.: Nieden described the second round of negotiations as “catastrophic”. “The employers have not made any move towards us and are completely blocking a possible agreement,” he said.
The Verdi district of Lower Saxony-Bremen had previously announced warning strikes if the talks in Berlin on Wednesday did not produce a result. According to Verdi, the unions negotiate for more than 30,000 employees in the industry. The companies Eon, Avacon and Preussen Elektra are affected.
A spokeswoman for Eon said the company was “still striving for a fair and mutually acceptable solution at the negotiating table”. “We are confident that such a solution will be reached,” she said.
The warning strikes should also affect network operators and the decommissioned nuclear power plants in Grohnde and Unterweser in Lower Saxony. Verdi assured that there would be no power outages and that the safety of the nuclear power plants would not be endangered.
Among other things, the unions are demanding 13 percent more money, but at least 550 euros more per month, with a term of the new collective agreement of twelve months.
You can read more information about the warning strikes on the following pages.
