BERLIN, March 7, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Major disruptions loom at German airports on Monday after a services union announced strike action for better pay for ground personnel.

The industrial action will hit airports in Frankfurt and Berlin as well as hubs in Bremen, Cologne, Dortmund, Duesseldorf, Hamburg, Hanover, Leipzig, Munich and Stuttgart,

The ver.di union said Friday it was calling on public sector workers and some 23,000 employees of ground handling service providers to go on an all-day warning strike on March 10.

"There will be massive restrictions on departures and arrivals, including flight cancellations," ver.di said in a statement.

"We regret the inconvenience that this strike will cause for passengers," said the union's deputy chair Christine Behle. "But without the pressure of industrial action, there will be no movement in the negotiations."

"That is why we are already informing people today so that travellers can prepare for the restrictions in good time," she added.

The union's demands include a pay rise of eight percent or at least 350 euros ($380) more per month, and higher bonuses for particularly stressful activities.

The union said that "we are forced to go on this warning strike because the employers have not yet made an offer in the ongoing collective bargaining negotiations for public sector employees and have shown no willingness to meet our legitimate demands."