Strike cripples two German airports

Berlin, Feb 14 (AFP) A strike by security staff over pay paralysed airports in the German cities of Duesseldorf and Hamburg today, with nearly half of all domestic and European flights scrapped. At midday local time (1100 GMT), 134 departures and 60 arrivals had been cancelled from Duesseldorf airport in the west of Germany, of 550 scheduled throughout the day. In the northern airport of Hamburg, "more than half of the 179 scheduled departures" had been cancelled, a spokesman told AFP, adding that more precise figures would be available later in the day. The Verdi services union called the strike for security staff responsible for checking passengers and hand luggage, in a dispute with management over pay deals. The industrial action, which began at 4:00 am local time (0300 GMT) was due to last until midnight. "We are waiting today for an offer from the employers which should show they are ready to negotiate. If we do not get a satisfactory offer, you should assume that the strike will continue," said union spokesman Guenter Isemeyer. A representative of an association representing aviation companies, Stefan Lauer, said the strike was unjustified. "It is a complete aberration that a tiny group of workers can lay low important arteries of the transport and economic systems," said Lauer, according to local news agency DPA. (AFP) PY 02141935 NNNN