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Warning strike at Hamburg Airport: Employees fight for higher wages!
A warning strike by the Verdi union will take place at Hamburg Airport from June 12th to demand better working conditions.
Warning strike at Hamburg Airport: Employees fight for higher wages!
A warning strike will be held at Hamburg Airport from Thursday, June 12th. The Verdi union has called on around 180 employees of Real Estate Maintenance GmbH (RMH) to take part in this industrial action. The strike begins with the morning shift and is expected to last until the night shift on Monday morning, June 16th. The affected professional groups include electricians, plumbers, carpenters, gardeners and civil engineers who are responsible for the maintenance of buildings and facilities on the airport site. Mopo reports that the last strike took place in mid-May and had no impact on air traffic.
The background to the strike is failed collective bargaining. Verdi is demanding a monthly wage increase of 450 euros, alignment with the public service collective agreement (TVöD), better protection against dismissal, hardship surcharges, an improved winter service allowance and more days off. In contrast, the employer recently only offered a wage increase of between 220 and 240 euros over a longer term. The same information source highlights that the next round of collective bargaining is already scheduled for June 26, 2025, and the warning strike is intended to increase pressure on employers.
What do the employees hope for? Ole Borgard, deputy regional manager of Verdi Hamburg, is dissatisfied with the lack of offers from employers. This is not an isolated incident, as the broader industry has also seen tough disputes recently. For example, warning strikes took place in private insurance companies in Berlin, which were called 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 specific dissatisfaction with the employers' offers in the ongoing negotiations.
Airport workers are aware of the burden on travelers, but emphasize that striking is a necessary means of asserting their concerns. “We haven't done a good deal if we don't demand our rights,” says Lars Stubbe, union secretary of Verdi Hamburg, emphasizing the urgency of this measure.
With the upcoming strike, Verdi shows that workers are mobile and ready to work to improve their working conditions. It remains to be seen whether this will lead to employers giving in. However, the fact is that the pressure on employers is increasing and the next round of collective bargaining could be decisive.