German Air Traffic Controllers Threaten Strike

Posted August 2nd, 2011 at 12:10 pm (UTC-5)
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German air traffic controllers say they will hold a six-hour strike on Thursday in support of their demands for better pay.

The air traffic controllers’ union Tuesday announced its members voted overwhelmingly to strike, with more than 95 percent of its 5,000 members voting in favor of the walkout. The union says it sees no alternative.

The union is seeking a one-year deal that would give its members a 6.5-percent pay increase. It rejected the latest offer — a lower raise over two years — from Germany’s air traffic control authority.

The strike is scheduled to take place between 6 a.m. and noon local time , and is expected to affect air traffic throughout Germany in the middle of the peak holiday season.