German airport security personnel conclude strike action after reaching agreement on wages.
The German trade union ver.di has announced the conclusion of strike action by airport security staff, following the resolution of a wage dispute during arbitration.
Approximately 25,000 airport security personnel across Germany have reached a wage agreement with their employer, signifying a halt to further strikes and travel disruptions in airports nationwide.
This development follows ver.di's initiation of an arbitration process on April 5, scheduled to conclude by 12pm on April 9. Ver.di reports that all parties involved in arbitration have unanimously endorsed the arbitration recommendation, with a final decision on acceptance due by 12pm on April 9.
Numerous strikes in the first quarter of 2024 had previously halted air travel operations at airports in Hamburg, Bremen, Hanover, Berlin, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Leipzig, Dresden, Erfurt, Frankfurt, and Stuttgart. Concurrently, the country experienced overlapping strikes by Deutsche Bahn staff, doctors, and public transport employees.
Under the terms of the agreement, security staff can anticipate wage increases ranging from 13.1 to 15.1 percent over the next 15 months. The precise increase depends on the employee's pay group, with hourly wages expected to rise by a maximum of 2.80 euros, incrementally until March 2025.
Wolfgang Pieper, ver.di negotiator, expressed satisfaction with the arbitration recommendation, stating that it addresses a fundamental demand and helps counteract the erosion of employees' purchasing power.