For higher pay
Berlin’s two airports faced flight delays and cancellations after the Verdi service workers union carried out brief work stoppages to demand an 8 percent pay raise, according to Bloomberg.
At least 10 flights at Tegel and Schoenefeld airports were canceled this morning and at least 10 more flights were delayed, according to the Berlin Airports Web site.
The work stoppage at Tegel began at 6:00 a.m. local time and ended at 8:00 a.m. The strike at Schoenefeld, which mostly serves budget and charter airlines, began at 7:00 a.m. and should end by 9:00 a.m, according to the Web site.
About 250 workers are taking part in the stoppages, said Holger Roessler, the negotiating partner for Verdi, in a phone interview from Tegel. The union said the airport authority’s offer of a 2.6 percent pay increase was inadequate.
Verdi has been organizing short strikes across Germany this month to push for 8 percent pay increases for more than 700,000 public sector workers.