Deal reached to end Berlin airport ground staff dispute

BERLIN – A union representing ground staff at Berlin’s two airports says it has reached a deal to end a pay dispute that resulted in a string of recent strikes.

The ver.di union said the three-year deal reached Tuesday foresees wages being raised significantly in four stages through 2019. It said that 2,000 employees of five companies that offer ground services at the German capital’s Tegel and Schoenefeld airports will benefit.

The ground staff staged three full-day walkouts earlier this month, forcing the cancellation of most flights to and from Berlin.

A former regional government minister, Ehrhart Koerting, was then called in as a mediator and ver.di said the deal followed 17 hours of negotiations.