last monday they four airports Germany, which has canceled almost all its activities: Berlin, Hamburg, Hannover and Bremen. They were followed on Friday from Cologne, Düsseldorf, Stuttgart and Karlsruhe. In the case of Berlin, an airport with a well-deserved reputation for failures at checkpoints and endless queues, not just on busy days, it suspended its operations for the second time this year, almost two days without notice. Frankfurt and Munich, the country’s two busiest air traffic, also closed passenger traffic for a day in mid-February. only that day affected strike with 137,000 travelers.
Gdetection of suspensions or delays in flights obey the calls warning strikes Since the beginning of the year, Ver.di has been summoned by the public sector union and some other minority workers’ organisations. In the case of airports, it affects ground staff, in particular security workers hired by relevant municipalities.
However, it is not only the situation in German airspace that frightens the citizens, who learn from the notices they receive from the airline that their flight will be cancelled, and change their place the next day and offer alternatives by train. for domestic routes – or directs you to other routes. Ver.di’s warning strike campaign goes beyond airports. It is also spreading through government nursing homes, hospitals, nursing homes and postal services in the form of diversified partial strikes that spread to different parts of the country.
Last Tuesday, the day there was no strike call at any airport, nearly 13,000 workers in the healthcare industry supported the strike day at hospitals, psychiatric clinics and rescue services in eight of the country’s 16 ‘Länder’ (federated states). .
notable differences
Ver.di’s claim, 2.5 million public sector workers: 10.5% salary increase or at least 500 Euros per worker per month. Employers—that is, federal State and regional or municipal authorities—reject this wage claim. Offers a 3% fee increase and one single payment of 2,500 euros for a two-year deal.
There has been no rapprochement between the two sides for weeks. The next round of negotiations will begin on the 25th, in the city of Potsdam, capital of the state of Brandenburg bordering Berlin. Many citizens are poised to see their departure or return from the Easter holiday interrupted by cancellations or delays, which will be a triumphant return to post-pandemic “holiday normalcy” for both the consumer and the tourism industry.
Inflation
Ver.di’s claim may seem disproportionate, but it is relevant to today’s conditions. In fact, it is currently considered moderate given the level of inflation closing 2022: it was 8.6% year-on-year in December after peaking at 10.4% in October. Even in sectors with regular adjustments to inflation in 2022 3.1% decrease in real wages compared to 2021. Third consecutive decline reflected by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis).
So far, German citizens have taken these humiliating but somehow bearable “low-intensity strikes” with resignation. Partly because they seem less sinister compared to the image of neighboring France as completely paralyzed or on the road to war against Emmanuel Macron’s pension reform.