German union ver.di called at the last minute a full-day strike for ground handling services at Hamburg airport on Monday, raising fears of cancellations or flight delays.
“The strike has to start at 3 am,” a spokeswoman for ver.di said on Sunday night. For its part, the airport said it expects delays and cancellations of flights due to the work stoppage, which will affect aircraft maintenance, baggage handling and bus services.
This “warning” strike comes as negotiations over a wage increase with management don’t progress. Ver.di asks for an additional 275 euros per month for some 1,000 ground workers.
Two weeks ago, the security forces struck, causing significant disruption. Hamburg Airport advises travellers to arrive earlier than expected and to travel only with hand luggage, if possible.
ver.di has announced a 24-hour strike of the ground handing staff at Hamburg Airport for Monday, 4 Feb. Luggage handling and aircraft ground handling are affected. Delays and cancellations are to be expected. Please allow for enough time and if possible fly with hand luggage only
— Hamburg Airport (@HamburgAirport) 3 février 2019
Strike update:
Due to the strike of the Ground Handling staff at Hamburg Airport, the airlines have already cancelled 58 of 388 flights for today. Further cancellations and delays cannot be excluded. Besides, the Holiday Shuttle does not operate at the moment. pic.twitter.com/hzo7AqoPnN— Hamburg Airport (@HamburgAirport) 4 février 2019