The Board of Airline Representatives in Germany (BARIG) has urged trade union Verdi to engage in dialogue instead of continued strikes.
The strikes resulted from the collective wage dispute between Verdi and the German Association of Aviation Security Companies (BDLS).
Michael Hoppe, the secretary general of BARIG, commented, “In the current situation, we – as an industry association of more than 100 national and international airlines in Germany – have absolutely no understanding for the Verdi strikes at the airports. Such forms of industrial action are being taken at the expense of uninvolved third parties. Every single day of ongoing strikes has immediate consequences for tens of thousands of passengers, leading to flight cancellations and massive delays. Moreover, it causes immense damage to air traffic in Germany – especially at a time when initial signs of recovery after many months of the pandemic crisis finally had been noticed.
“We therefore urgently call on the collective bargaining parties to get engaged in constructive dialogue instead. The wage dispute can only be resolved at the negotiating table. Strikes or even unrealistic, excessive demands, on the contrary, only create unacceptable burdens on the entire air traffic industry in Germany and ultimately harm all parties involved.”