Planned strike expands to Frankfurt, other German airports

BERLIN - A German labour union has expanded a planned strike by security staff at Frankfurt Airport on Tuesday to include several other airports, including Hamburg.

News agency DPA reported that the ver.di union on Sunday announced the one-day walkout at Hamburg, two days after calling the strike at Frankfurt, Germany’s busiest hub.

Walkouts are also expected Tuesday at the smaller Hannover, Bremen, Leipzig-Halle, Dresden and Erfurt airports.

The union wants hourly pay for all workers conducting security checks to rise to 20 euros ($23.10). Employers association BDLS says the amount could amount to a 30-percent increase in some cases.

Ver.di says it’s waiting for employers to make a negotiable offer for around 23,000 security staff.

Earlier strikes resulted in hundreds of flight cancellations at the airports in Duesseldorf, Cologne-Bonn, Stuttgart and Berlin.

A few travellers made the most of the situation and took to social media to spread their positive vibes:

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Sitting on my 6th flight in the last 24hrs (YAY for German airport strikes) and thinking about how unbelievable these last three weeks were. It was like God was activating Holy Spirit-filled conversation, propagating new, meaningful relationships, and rekindling old friendships - an inclusive community... And that was just off the stage. #ThankYouJesus #LetTheHolsBegin #CantWaitToSeeMyWife #GermanAirportStrikes #BTW #BTDubs #MiraclesByJCisOnRepeattttttt #DatSongDoe

A post shared by eli(@eliescoto_) on Apr 27, 2016 at 1:31pm PDT