This week, passengers are once again standing in long queues at Cologne/Bonn Airport. It takes up to 40 minutes for travelers to reach the checkpoints. The reasons: construction sites at the airport and too few staff. Next year will be followed WDR-Information more than 100 of around 650 jobs at the security company will be cut.
Employees are unsettled
The employees are worried. Even the responsible secretary of the ver.di union, Özay Tarim, receives little information. “The employer does not comment. This creates uncertainty. The employees are supposed to ensure safety at the checkpoints, but they always have in mind what will happen next for them“, says union secretary Tarim dem WDR.
From January 1st, Cologne/Bonn Airport will be responsible for organizing security checks. The company relies, among other things, on the latest control technology. Will be in the future High-Tech Scanner stand at security checkpoints. Then passengers no longer have to unpack liquids and electrical devices as before. This is intended to save personnel.
Staff cuts are unavoidable
The security company Securitas therefore informed employees in an internal letter that a “Staff cuts are unfortunately unavoidable” be.
The use of the High-Tech Scanner However, at other airports it has been shown that they do not work quite as well as in theory. “There must be enough people to operate the technology“Otherwise such scanners are of no use,” says trade unionist Tarim.
There have been repeated problems with the calculation at Cologne/Bonn Airport for years. The result: long waiting times, missed flights. The union fears that the situation will worsen further as a result of staff cuts.
Airport denies responsibility
The airport informs in writing that it requests inspection hours from the security company: “The number of checking hours depends on the number of passengers and the technology used in the checkpoint“The personnel planning is then the responsibility of the security company.
The security company Securitas has been negotiating with the works council about job cuts for weeks. According to information from the WDR found out just before Christmas.
