Security staff strike to halt departures from Berlin airport

BERLIN – Passengers at Berlin airport face disruptions on Monday with all flight departures cancelled due to a one-day strike by security workers, and some incoming flights also set to be affected.

Berlin Brandenburg airport announced on Saturday that it had cancelled all flight departures on Monday and said that landings would also be affected after the Verdi union called on security workers to stage a one-day strike to raise the pressure in wage talks. The strike is due to start at 3:30 am local time (0130 GMT) and end at midnight (2200 GMT).

An airport spokesperson said roughly 240 flights had been scheduled to take off on Monday.

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Europe's biggest economy has seen some of the most disruptive strikes in decades this year as unions press for higher wages to offset the surging cost of living.

The union says it has been negotiating with the BDLS aviation security association to push for pay increases for night, weekend and public holiday shifts.

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Last week, airports in Duesseldorf, Hamburg, Cologne Bonn and Stuttgart were hit by strikes.