Ground staff at Berlin Tegel and Schönefeld airports started a 25-hour strike on Monday, 13th of March 2017, at 4 AM (03:00GMT). The strike led to the cancelation of more than 650 flights in both airports.

The both airports’ ground handling staff, united under Ver.di union (Vereinte Dienstleistungsgewerkschaft), have already walked out several times during the past few weeks due to a tense dispute over pay, BBC reported.

The union asked for a pay rise for ground staff to €12 ($12.80) per hour ($12.80) from about €11 ($11.78), as part of a one-year collective agreement.

According to Ver.di’s statement on the 13th of March 2017, the strike is extended because there has not yet signaled a response and solution at the negotiating table for approximately 2,000 employees of the airport company.

Although the strike is reportedly planned to last for 25 hours, Ver.di and Berlin airports authority said that the strike might be extended until the 15th of March.

READ MORE: Strikes at Berlin airport force airberlin to cancel 60 flights airberlin announced that the union ver.di has called for warning strikes on the 8th of February 2017, amongst ground staff at the airports Berlin, Hamburg and Stuttgart. The airline said that it has no alternative but to cancel around 60 flights from its hub Berlin-Tegel from 5 a.m. until 11 a.m. According to some media, the union is demanding higher wages and better conditions for its 2,000 members at the airports.

The official website of the airport stated that due to strike action of ground staff at Berlin’s airports Schönefeld and Tegel there is severe disruption of air traffic from 13th of March approx. 4 AM until 15th of March approx. 5 AM local time. The airport added that restrictions in air traffic may continue after the end of the strike action restrictions in air traffic may continue.

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