Security strike closes Hamburg Airport

The Ver.di services sector trade union took its members who screen passengers and baggage at the airports in Hamburg, Stuttgart and Hanover out on strike on Monday to back up its demand for more pay.

Even before the strikes began, it had been clear that in terms of volume of traffic, Hamburg would be hardest hit by the work stoppage, with an airport spokesperson saying around 40,000 passengers could face delays or cancellations.

Germany's flag-carrier airline, Lufthansa, said on Sunday that it had cancelled 18 flights between Hamburg and Frankfurt as well as Hamburg and Munich, in anticipation of the walkout.

By mid-morning on Monday, the scale of the disruption was beginning to become clear, as police temporarily closed all entrances to both terminals at Hamburg Airport, as both had become jammed after security checks ground to a halt due to a shortage of personnel.

Shortly afterwards, Hamburg Airport used its own Twitter account to instruct passengers with flights booked not to travel to the airport. Since then, police have been gradually letting passengers into the airport in a controlled manner to ensure that safety regulations are not breached.

"The latest situation is catastrophic," a Hamburg Airport spokesperson said. "We have surpassed our capacity limits."

Delays at Stuttgart

Overcrowding was also reported at the airport in Stuttgart, where early on Monday a spokesperson warned that passengers could face delays of up to an hour when passing through security, despite the fact that additional workers had been called in. She also said that as a precaution, passengers were advised to arrive at the airport at least three hours prior to their flight's planned take off.

A statement posted on Stuttgart Airport's web site a few hours later warned that passengers should expect to spend as much as two hours waiting to pass through security.

The strike appeared to be far less disruptive in Hanover, where an airport spokesperson said there had been few adverse effects on travelers.

"Currently, we have no cancellations, and delays are marginal," she said.

Pay dispute

Ver.di called the strike, which began with the early shift on morning, to back up its demands for pay rises not just for the workers who conduct pre-flight security checks on passengers and luggage, but also security guards at military bases or nuclear power facilities. They also failed to turn up for Monday morning's shift.

"Security comes at a price," said Petra Gerstenkorn, a member of the executive board of the trade union.

Ver.di is demanding a pay rise of between 70 cents and 2.50 euros per hour ($0.79 - $2.83) for the security personnel.

Travelers in Germany have become accustomed to delays over the past several months, due to short-term strikes called by unions affecting either airlines, airports or the country's passenger rail service.

pfd/rg (dpa, Reuters)