- Title: GERMANY: Security staff strike brings chaos to Frankfurt airport
- Date: 21st February 2014
- Summary: FRANKFURT, GERMANY (FEBRUARY 21, 2014) (REUTERS) PASSENGERS WALKING PAST DEPARTURES BOARD PASSENGERS LOOKING AT BOARD BOARD SHOWING CANCELLED FLIGHTS CLOSE BOARD READING (German) "CANCELLED" LINES OF PASSENGERS WAITING MEN SITTING ON LUGGAGE AND FLOOR CROWD OF PASSENGERS WAITING IN LINE (SOUNDBITE) (German) FRANKFURT AIRPORT SPOKESPERSON, MIKE SCHWEITZER, SAYING: "However
- Embargoed: 8th March 2014 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Germany
- Country: Germany
- Topics: Politics,Travel / Tourism,Transport
- Reuters ID: LVA59XF6NNUMMN0Y6KS87BD0TR3E
- Story Text: A strike by security staff at Frankfurt airport caused flight cancellations and delayed thousands of passengers, bringing chaos to Europe's third largest hub on Friday (February 21), the busiest day of the week for travellers.
Trade union Verdi had called on around 5,000 people who check passengers, baggage and freight at the airport to strike for the entire day to push for their pay to be brought into line with that of staff at other German airports.
Hoards of people jostling to get to the front of lines at check-in and service desks thronged the airport, which usually handles 150,000 passengers on a typical Friday.
Almost 50 flights were cancelled, with Lufthansa scrapping almost 40, but the biggest problem was getting people through check-in and security, airport operator Fraport said.
"At the moment we're seeing the largest problems at security," a spokesman said. "It means we have much longer waiting times than usual, long queues are forming. That's why we've decided and are currently asking all passengers to avoid coming to the airport until further notice, because we currently have hugely long waiting times here and have to assume that newly arriving passengers will not be able to reach their flights on time."
Just before lunchtime, the airport closed access to security controls as queues swelled. Passengers booed striking staff as they walked through the terminal blowing whistles and waving placards bearing the words: "We're worth it."
A security assistant told Reuters she is paid 11.70 euros an hour, while those in the same job in Stuttgart receive 14 euros an hour.
Verdi said more than 90 percent of security staff due to work on Friday were joining the strike. Although the union also said it was letting 110 people stand down from the strike for a short time to staff the security checks and ease the congestion.
The BDSW employers' association said it could not provide an estimate for how many people were on strike.
The strike was called after four rounds of pay talks between Verdi and employers' association BDSW, which represents around 185,000 security staff who work for private companies, ended without agreement. The next round of talks is due on March 5.
Tim Oger, a Brit trying to travel through the airport was finding it hard to reclaim his luggage after checking it in.
"It seems they don't have a process for doing this," Oger said. "I should imagine there's lots of people trying to get their baggage back because they can't make flights. It's absolute chaos, not very impressive, not very German. It should be better than this."
Finn Marko Aicele was trying to get to Helsinki but had been unable to get through security.
"I've heard that all the security is closed, totally closed. And that's bullshit," he said.
Verdi wants hourly pay for its members to be increased to 16 euros with immediate effect. The BDSW is offering a two stage increase to 14 euros an hour. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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