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Frankfurt - A strike by security staff at Frankfurt airport caused flight cancellations and delayed thousands of passengers, bringing chaos to Europe's third largest hub on Friday, the busiest day of the week for travellers.
Trade union Verdi had called on around 5 000 people who check passengers, baggage and freight at the airport to strike for the entire day to push for their pay to be brought into line with that of staff at other German airports.
Hoards of people jostling to get to the front of lines at check-in and service desks thronged the airport, which usually handles 150 000 passengers on a typical Friday.
Almost 50 flights were cancelled, with Lufthansa scrapping almost 40, but the biggest problem was getting people through check-in and security, airport operator Fraport said.
"We're trying our best but it's a challenge," a spokesperson said. "We tried to inform people but the strike was called at such short notice."
Just before lunchtime, the airport closed access to security controls as queues swelled. Passengers booed striking staff as they walked through the terminal blowing whistles and waving placards bearing the words: "We're worth it."
"We get €11.70 ($16.04) an hour once our trial period is over. People in Stuttgart get €14 an hour but we're the ones working at Germany's largest airport and the work is getting more stressful," Nsimba Gore, a 32-year-old security assistant, said.
Verdi said more than 90% of security staff due to work on Friday were joining the strike. Although the union also said it was letting 110 people stand down from the strike for a short time to staff the security checks and ease the congestion.
The BDSW employers' association said it could not provide an estimate for how many people were on strike.
Talks failed
The strike was called after four rounds of pay talks between Verdi and employers' association BDSW, which represents around 185 000 security staff who work for private companies, ended without agreement. The next round of talks is due on March 5.
David Irvine, a 56 year old project manager travelling from Scotland to Rome with his wife, had to queue for two hours to try and get his ticket changed.
"I've flown through here three or four times before, and it's usually pretty efficient, but today it's a disaster," he said.
Others were trying to take trains home.
"The air is thick, people are angry. I couldn't take it any more," Kristoffer Norberg, a 48-year-old Swede travelling on business from Saudi Arabia, said. He decided to take the train to Stockholm instead.
Frankfurt DJ Shantel was trying to get to Istanbul but had been unable to get through security.
"I have no understanding for this," Shantel, real name Stefan Hantel, told Reuters, carrying a box of CDs. "I'm self-employed and have no union to represent me, but if I don't get to Istanbul today it means I lose a lot of business."
Verdi wants hourly pay for its members to be increased to €16 with immediate effect. The BDSW is offering a two stage increase to €14 an hour.
"We just can't pay it," BDSW managing director Harald Olschok told reporters. "Our margins are between 3-5%, so if you want pay increases like this it will have to be passed on to customers and that will make it more expensive for everyone to fly."
