A service union, Verdi, has called on public service employees at the airports of Düsseldorf and Cologne/Bonn to engage in full-day warning strikes. The work stoppages are expected to begin at Cologne/Bonn airport on Sunday evening and at Düsseldorf airport in the early morning hours of February 24. Verdi anticipates “far-reaching effects” on passenger flights at both airports.
The background is that there has been no offer from the employers in the second round of collective bargaining for public service employees at the federal and local levels. “The previous employer’s reluctance to make an offer is also hitting employees at the North Rhine-Westphalia airports hard” said Gabriele Schmidt, Verdi’s regional leader in North Rhine-Westphalia. “Many of them are heavily burdened by the increasingly high workload, caused by a lack of personnel and are often physically exhausted, having to work in the wind and weather with a high sense of responsibility and time pressure.”
The high cost of living, rent and additional expenses cannot be offset by a weakening economy, Schmidt added. “Both together paint a picture that does not recognize sustainable and attractive working conditions at the airports. It is urgently necessary to have a negotiable offer, so that our infrastructure does not collapse.”
Verdi is demanding an increase of at least 8% in the collective agreement for the year 2025, with a minimum of an additional 350 euros per month, as well as higher supplements for particularly demanding tasks. It is also calling for a 200-euro monthly increase in training and apprentice wages. In addition, the union is demanding three additional free days to counterbalance the high workload and a “My Time Account” to provide more time sovereignty and flexibility for employees.
The third round of collective bargaining is scheduled to take place from March 14 to 16, 2025, in Potsdam. The collective agreement is to be applied in the same way and at the same time to civil servants, judges, soldiers and recipients of social benefits. Verdi is leading the collective bargaining negotiations on behalf of GdP, GEW, IG BAU and in cooperation with the dbb Beamtenbund and Tarifunion.