The airport said only 10 of the more than 280 scheduled flights were scheduled. Many service desks are empty as possible passengers line up to find information about cancellations.
The surprise strike was reportedly only about half an hour ahead of a series of broader prophetic strikes organized by VER.DI UNION on Monday.
Members of the union work in areas including passenger services, cargo and merchandise screening, and he called on safety control personnel to strike Sunday to put pressure on company representatives in collective bargaining sessions.
“The actions of union ver.di are inseparable: the strikes attacked Hamburg Airport at the start of the holiday season,” airport spokeswoman Katja Bromm said in a statement. She said arriving on Monday would be possible and “mass of damage and cancellation” were expected.
Brom said Sunday’s strike was “excessive and unfair to travelers who had nothing to do with tens of thousands of travelers.” For months, Ver.DI has been negotiating a new agreement that aims to improve occupational health and safety, provides more holidays, increases annual bonuses to 50%, and freely choose doctors for employees’ routine, mandatory medical examinations, and more.
