Only hours after Lufthansa pilots announced nationwide strike plans, Germany’s service-sector union Ver.di launched its own industrial action at Hamburg Airport. Starting at 06:00 on 12 March, ground-handling, passenger-security and aircraft-maintenance staff downed tools with almost no prior notice, forcing the airport to suspend all departures and the majority of arrivals. The stoppage extends a two-day strike that had already affected operations on 9–10 March but had been expected to end at midnight. Ver.di is demanding a pay rise of 12.5 % and better rostering for roughly 2,000 staff employed by ground-service subsidiaries. Management offered staged increases totalling 6.1 % over 24 months, calling the union’s claims “unrealistic in the current margin environment”. Talks are scheduled to resume on 18 March; the union hinted that more strikes could hit other airports if progress remains slow. The timing has amplified disruption for travellers who hoped to avoid Lufthansa’s pilot strike by routing via non-Lufthansa carriers: most European airlines operating into Hamburg have had to cancel flights because security checkpoints are closed. Rail capacity on the Berlin–Hamburg and Hamburg–Hanover corridors is already tight after earlier strikes in February. Global mobility teams with assignments in northern Germany should warn travellers about significant delays in reaching client sites or local offices and revisit their duty-of-care tracking to ensure accurate location data. Employers considering short-term projects in the region may wish to fly into Copenhagen or Berlin and continue by train until labour relations stabilise.
Source: AK&M Newswire
