BERLIN, March 16 (Xinhua) -- Germany is bracing for widespread disruption to air travel and public transport this week as unions escalate disputes with employers over pay, pensions and working conditions through a series of strikes.
The Verdi trade union announced on Monday a full-day warning strike at Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) scheduled for Wednesday after wage negotiations with airport management failed to produce a breakthrough. The union said the move was "a direct consequence of the employers' refusal to present a negotiable offer."
German news agency dpa reported that the full impact on flight operations at BER remains unclear, but passengers have been warned to expect major disruption.
Verdi is seeking higher pay for about 2,000 BER employees under a proposed 12-month agreement. The union is demanding a 6 percent wage increase, with a minimum monthly rise of 250 euros (285 U.S. dollars), as well as an additional day off for union members.
According to Verdi, employers proposed annual pay increases of about 1 percent through the end of 2028 during the second round of talks last week, an offer the union's lead negotiator rejected as inadequate.
Meanwhile, strike action is also looming at Lufthansa subsidiary Eurowings after pilots overwhelmingly backed a walkout in a membership ballot, the Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) pilots' union said. About 82 percent of eligible members took part in the vote, with 94 percent supporting strike action.
The dispute at Eurowings centers on pilots' company pension schemes, mirroring a similar conflict at parent company Lufthansa. VC said Eurowings had rejected any increase in employer contributions during negotiations. VC President Andreas Pinheiro called for a "serious concession from the employers."
The vote comes shortly after a two-day strike by Lufthansa pilots last week over occupational pension arrangements that forced the cancellation of hundreds of flights.
Industrial action is also spreading beyond aviation. Verdi has called warning strikes in local public transport over pay and working conditions, with several German states expected to be affected on Thursday.
According to the union, buses and trains will remain in depots in Bavaria, Saarland, Brandenburg, North Rhine-Westphalia and Hamburg on Thursday. Dpa reported that additional states could still join the action.
In North Rhine-Westphalia, the strike action will extend beyond Thursday, with warning strikes planned across most regions on Tuesday. On Monday, employees at administrative offices and customer service centers in the state already walked off the job. In Saxony, part of the public transport was also hit by strikes on Monday.
The current wave of industrial action marks the third large, coordinated strike in the ongoing round of collective bargaining for public transport workers, which Verdi is conducting simultaneously across Germany's states.
"In many states, we are unfortunately still at the very beginning, in the fourth month of these negotiations," said Christine Behle, deputy chairwoman of Verdi.
The negotiations in most states focus primarily on working conditions under collective agreements, including working hours, break times and rest periods between shifts. In some regions, the talks also involve demands for higher wages.
Employers, however, have pushed back against Verdi's demands. The municipal employers' association of North Rhine-Westphalia has for weeks accused the union of ignoring the dire financial situation facing transport operators. It said pay and employment conditions had already improved significantly and that local public transport already offered attractive jobs.
