Airport strikes lead to cancellations in Berlin, Hamburg

BERLIN (AP) — Employees at Berlin and Hamburg airports are staging walkouts in an ongoing dispute over pay and conditions for security staff, leading to flight cancellations in both German cities. German news agency dpa reported that in Berlin all 220 departures and 70 out of 240 incoming flights were canceled on Monday. Due to a walkout announced at short notice by trade union ver.di, the airport in Hamburg announced in the early morning that 50 of 160 departures had been canceled. The walkouts started at 3:30 a.m. and are supposed to last until midnight. The union wants to increase pressure on employers with whom it is negotiating bonuses for special working hours, for example at weekends, and rules on overtime pay.