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Cologne-Bonn Airport (archive photo): Strikes during the night from Sunday to Monday
Photo: Oliver Berg / picture alliance / dpa
In the wage dispute for the public sector, Ver.di is increasing the pressure: the service union called on all wage-earning employees in the greater Cologne, Bonn and Leverkusen areas to go on an all-day warning strike on Monday.
Among other things, there will be significant restrictions on local public transport in the region, it said.
Ver.di also announced warning strikes for Monday at the two largest airports in North Rhine-Westphalia.
At Cologne/Bonn Airport, the first groups of employees are to go on strike during the night from Sunday to Monday.
The warning strikes start at Düsseldorf Airport shortly afterwards.
Because of the shift work, the strikes at both airports should end in the night from Monday to Tuesday.
The background to the strikes are the negotiations for employees in the public sector at the federal and municipal level, as well as the nationwide negotiations for employees in aviation security.
Collective bargaining is currently being conducted for all these groups.
"The employees put pressure on the respective employers with the strikes because no acceptable offer was made in the previous negotiations in the public sector," said Andrea Becker, state department head of Ver.di in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Just last Friday, warning strikes by Ver.di at seven German airports caused thousands of flight cancellations.
Several airports had to stop regular passenger operations.
Ver.di NRW campaigned in a message for the understanding of the passengers.
In order to provide relief, the warning strikes were announced at an early stage.
So travelers could switch to other options.
The employers had presented an offer at the nationwide negotiations for employees in the federal and local governments in Potsdam on Thursday.
Among other things, it includes a pay increase of five percent in two steps and one-off payments totaling 2,500 euros.
The unions rejected the employers' offer as insufficient.
Ver.di and the civil servants' association dbb are demanding 10.5 percent more income, but at least 500 euros more per month.
Collective bargaining for federal and local employees is scheduled to continue on March 27.
ssu/dpa-AFX