Hundreds of flights from Berlin cancelled as ground staff continue strike

Record ID: 449218

  • Title: Hundreds of flights from Berlin cancelled as ground staff continue strike
  • Date: 14th March 2017
  • Summary: BERLIN, GERMANY (MARCH 14, 2017) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF BERLIN TEGEL AIRPORT CONTROL TOWER WOMAN GETTING OUT OF A TAXI VARIOUS OF PEOPLE SITTING AT AIRPORT AND WATCHING MONITORS VARIOUS OF MONITOR SHOWING CANCELLED FLIGHT COUPLE SLEEPING PEOPLE WALKING MAN WAITING VERDI UNION MEMBERS PROTESTING OUTSIDE AIRPORT VARIOUS OF SIGN READING (German): "ENOUGH OF WAGE DUMPING. WITH US NO LONGER" (SOUNDBITE) (German) VERDI UNION SPOKESMAN, JENS GROEGER, SAYING: "We are still striking because the employer has not put a better offer on the table. We are now at (an increase of) 8 percent over three years but the distribution over the three years remains unclear. We did our maths and that means 27 cents per hour, which is unacceptable for our colleagues." UNION MEMBERS PROTESTING VARIOUS OF PLANES PARKED AT AIRPORT VARIOUS OF EMPTY HALL AT AIRPORT CLOSE UP OF SUITCASES PEOPLE LOOKING AT MONITORS VARIOUS OF MONITORS SHOWING CANCELLED FLIGHTS (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. CITIZEN, JAMES SIM, SAYING: "First of all, I don't know, I have to go see... My initial flight got cancelled, I am being re-routed through somewhere in Europe and trying to make it back to the United States." (SOUNDBITE) (German) GERMAN CITIZEN, BERND WEINERT, SAYING: "Not nice, for us it is not nice. The people who are striking have a reason for it, but we are customers who are looking forward to go on holiday, which is now a bit ruined. But we must cope with it, whatever there is, and we will take it easy." (SOUNDBITE) (English) STRANDED PASSENGER, THOMAS PELEWSKI, SAYING: "If that is what they have to do, that is what they have to do. They have to stand up for their work. It is all about negotiation. If they feel they deserve then they have to go to the table and talk about it. Good luck to them." PEOPLE AT AIRPORT (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) PORTUGUESE CITIZEN, SAVYO MAEA, SAYING: "It is their right. It is their right until it clashes with our rights, but they have to think carefully about how to combine the two. They strike for a period of time and then they decided to extend it. The aerial companies were not informed and now people are coming to the airport because the strike was supposed to be over but now they are seeing that it is still on." VARIOUS OF EMPTY STANDS VARIOUS OF AIRPORT HALL
  • Embargoed: 28th March 2017 08:32
  • Keywords: Germany strike airport
  • Location: BERLIN, GERMANY
  • City: BERLIN, GERMANY
  • Country: Germany
  • Topics: Society/Social Issues
  • Reuters ID: LVA00167XKSW7
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Berlin's two airports remained paralysed on Tuesday (March 14) as its ground staff continued a strike over a pay dispute that has already caused the cancellation of around 1,000 flights.
    The walkout started again on Monday after a weekend break and lead to the cancellation of 194 flights at Schoenefeld and 448 in Tegel.
    Over 600 flights were expected to be cancelled on Tuesday.
    Verdi Union protesters gathered at the doors of Berlin Tegel on Tuesday morning claiming the current offer was unacceptable.
    "We are still striking because the employer has not put a better offer on the table. We are now at (an increase of) 8 percent over three years but the distribution over the three years remains unclear. We did our maths and that means 27 cents per hour, which is unacceptable for our colleagues," its spokesperson, Jens Groeger, told Reuters.
    The union wants an increase in pay for ground staff to 12 euros ($12.80) an hour from about 11 euros as part of a one-year collective agreement.
    Reactions amongst stranded passengers were mixed, but most were fed up of the continued strike and its fallout.
    "Not nice, for us it is not nice. The people who are striking have a reason for it, but we are customers who are looking forward to go on holiday, which is now a bit ruined. But we must cope with it, whatever there is, and we will take it easy," Bernd Weinert, from Germany, said.
    "If that is what they have to do, that is what they have to do. They have to stand up for their work. It is all about negotiation. If they feel they deserve then they have to go to the table and talk about it. Good luck to them," Thomas Pelewski said.
    "It is their right. It is their right until it clashes with our rights, but they have to think carefully about how to combine the two. They strike for a period of time and then they decided to extend it. The aerial companies were not informed and now people are coming to the airport because the strike was supposed to be over but now they are seeing that it is still on," Savyo Maea, from Portugal, said.
    Management first offered about 10 cents more an hour over four years and then improved that offer to an 8 percent increase over three years.
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