Germany to fast-track foreign airport workers to ease travel chaos

BERLIN, June 29 (Reuters) – The German authorities will fast-track work permits and visas for a number of thousand international airport employees, primarily from Turkey, to assist to ease summer season journey chaos that has annoyed holidaymakers, German ministers mentioned on Wednesday.

Travellers throughout Europe are going through particularly lengthy queues at airports this summer season partly as a result of there should not sufficient workers to deal with the rebound in demand after COVID-19 lockdowns.

“Many individuals are wanting ahead to their holidays after the lengthy pandemic, so it’s irritating if there are disruptions at airports,” labour minister Hubertus Heil instructed reporters at a information convention.

Germany’s aviation sector now goals to convey employees with airport expertise to Germany, primarily from Turkey, to work with grounds crews, together with in baggage dealing with, inside minister Nancy Faeser mentioned at Wednesday’s information convention.

They should bear the identical safety checks as home airport employees earlier than being allowed to work at airports, she mentioned.

Airways, a few of which had hoped to rent international workers via momentary work companies, should make use of employees immediately and at normal wages, labour minister Heil mentioned.

Heil blamed the staffing shortages on airways and airport operators, saying that they had let too many employees go through the pandemic who had now discovered jobs in different sectors, corresponding to parcel supply.

“It might have been as much as the businesses to take motion. We see now that that wasn’t finished to a ample extent,” he mentioned.

Lufthansa (LHAG.DE) Chief Government Carsten Spohr on Tuesday apologised to workers and clients for the chaos, saying the flagship provider had made errors when it minimize prices through the pandemic to attempt to save the corporate. read more

Heil mentioned that the federal government’s intervention to assist firms convey international employees to German airports was a short lived measure to ease the pressure on holidaymakers.

“It’s not a long-term resolution. It’s as much as the businesses to make sure that they’re engaging employers, with respectable circumstances and wages,” Heil mentioned.

Reporting by Klaus Lauer and Maria Sheahan. Enhancing by Jane Merriman

Our Requirements: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.