In the protracted wage dispute between the Berlin-Brandenburg Airport Company (FBB) and the Verdi trade union, a preliminary agreement has been reached for the approximately 2.000 ground staff of the capital's airport BER.
As the union announced, a compromise was reached after intensive negotiations and is now before the internal collective bargaining commission for final approval. The exact details of the agreement will remain confidential for the time being. This development puts further warning strikes, which would have severely disrupted flight operations at the Berlin location, on hold for the foreseeable future.
The employees' demands initially focused on a 6 percent pay increase, or at least a fixed monthly payment of €250 for all pay grades. A key point of contention was also the desire for an additional day off exclusively for union members, as well as a short contract term of twelve months. The employers had previously countered with a significantly lower offer, proposing annual increases of only around one percent with a term extending to the end of 2028. This discrepancy led to a one-day warning strike in mid-March, which brought all operations at BER airport to a complete standstill and affected tens of thousands of passengers.
Should the relevant collective bargaining commission approve the agreement, it would be a significant stabilizing factor for Germany's second-largest air traffic hub. The agreement directly affects the airport company's staff, who are responsible for administration, technology, and ground handling services, among other things. However, this agreement does not affect the ongoing labor disputes involving Lufthansa cabin crew, which continue to cause short-notice cancellations, particularly on domestic feeder flights to and from Frankfurt and Munich. For BER, the anticipated elimination of the strike threat at FBB (Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg GmbH) represents a significant improvement in operational planning certainty for the coming months.
Market analysts view the agreement as a necessary step to prevent Berlin Brandenburg Airport from further weakening its position among European air traffic hubs. Since its opening, BER has struggled with economic challenges and fluctuating passenger numbers. A lasting labor dispute among ground staff is considered essential to solidify airline confidence in the airport and ensure efficient operations. Following formal confirmation of the agreement, the publication of the exact wage levels and contract durations is expected, which are likely to exceed the initial employer offer.