Passengers were set to face more disruptions on Friday due to strikes by aviation security staff at six German airports.

Thousands of passengers were set to be affected after trade union Verdi called for further strikes by aviation security staff at the Hanover, Dortmund, Weeze, Dresden, Leipzig, and Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden airports.

The first employees went on strike in Hanover late on Thursday.

Verdi is trying to increase pressure on the employers ahead of the next round of negotiations on March 20.

Strikes by security staff at five other German airports brought operations to a virtual standstill on Thursday.

On Thursday, airports in Berlin, Hamburg, Stuttgart, Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden, and Cologne/Bonn were affected.

All departures were cancelled at the airports because passengers and goods could no longer pass through security checks.

There were also numerous cancellations of landings.

According to estimates by the airport association ADV, more than 580 flights were cancelled on Thursday.

The association expects a significantly lower number of cancelled flights on Friday.

Unions are currently hitting air traffic with a whole wave of industrial action, leading to sometimes more, sometimes fewer restrictions for passengers.

Lufthansa is being hit particularly hard.

The collective bargaining in aviation security concerns the working conditions of around 25,000 employees of private security service providers, who check passengers, staff and baggage at the entrances to the security area on behalf of Germany’s Federal Police.

Five rounds of negotiations have so far failed to produce a result. Verdi is demanding an hourly wage increase of €2.80 ($3.05), phased in over 12 months, with overtime bonuses starting more quickly from the first hour of overtime.

According to the Association of Aviation Security Companies (BDLS), they have offered €2.70 more per hour in three stages, which will increase monthly wages by €432 to €470.

The collective agreement is to run for 24 months.

A sixth round of negotiations with Verdi has been scheduled for March 20.

Vereinte Dienstleistungsgewerkschaft (stylised Verdi in English) is a German trade union based in Berlin, Germany.

It was established on March 19, 2001 following the merger of five individual unions and is a member of the German Trade Union Confederation. 

(dpa/NAN)