Ground staff strike at Berlin airports, flights scrapped

Members of Germany’s Ver.di union march through the main hall of Berlin Tegel airport during a warning strike by ground services, security checks and check-in staff on Feb. 8, 2017. (REUTERS)

BERLIN: A strike by ground staff at Berlin’s two airports has caused the cancelation of dozens of flights.
The Ver.di union called out members at Berlin’s Tegel and Schoenefeld airports for six hours starting at 5 a.m. (0400 GMT) Wednesday. Airport authorities said 112 flights were canceled at Tegel and 22 at Schoenefeld.
The union, which announced the strike Tuesday, is demanding higher wages and better conditions for its 2,000 members at the airports.
Ver.di also called members at Hamburg and Stuttgart airports out on strike. Several flights in Stuttgart were canceled or delayed, but there appeared to be little immediate effect on flights in Hamburg.