Warning strike at Hamburg Airport: Employees fight for higher wages!

Warning strike at Hamburg Airport: Employees fight for higher wages!

Hamburg, Deutschland - A warning strike will be held at Hamburg Airport from Thursday, June 12th. The Verdi union called for around 180 employees of Real Estate Maintenance GmbH (RMH) to this industrial place. The strike begins with the early shift and should last until the night shift on Monday morning, June 16. The affected professional groups include electricians, installers, carpenters, gardeners and civil engineers who are responsible for maintaining buildings and plants on the airport site. mopo reports that the last strike took place in mid-May and had no effect on air traffic.

The background of the strike are failed collective bargaining. Verdi demands a monthly wage increase of 450 euros, an alignment with the collective agreement of the public service (TVöD), better protection against dismissal, difficulty surcharges, an improved winter service flat rate and more days off. In contrast, the employer recently only offered a wage increase between 220 and 240 euros with a longer term. The same source of information emphasizes that the next tariff round is already scheduled for June 26, 2025, and the warning strike should increase the pressure on employers.

What do the employees hope for? Ole Borgard, deputy regional district manager of Verdi Hamburg, is dissatisfied with the lack of offers on the part of the employers. This is not an isolated case, because there were also hard clashes in the broader industry. For example, warning strikes took place in private insurance companies in Berlin, which were proclaimed by Verdi. The focus was on increasing salaries and allowances by 12%in order to counteract the real wage losses of recent years. rbb also reported a specific displeasure about the offers of the employers in the ongoing negotiations.

The employees at the airport are aware of the burden for travelers, but emphasize that strike is a necessary means to enforce their concerns. "We have not done a good business if we do not demand our rights," says Lars Stubbe, union secretary of Verdi Hamburg, and emphasizes the urgency of this measure.

With the upcoming strike, Verdi shows that the employees are mobile and will be willing to improve their working conditions. It remains to be seen whether this leads to a steering of employers. The fact is, however, that the pressure on employers increases and the next round of the collective bargaining could be decisive.