At the beginning of the holiday season in June, the situation at several German airports was chaotic because there were no staff in baggage handling. The federal government then allowed 2,000 temporary workers to be hired from Turkey.
But now, according to the industry association BDL, Munich and Nuremberg are the only two airports that make use of it: together they expect 60 to 65 temporary workers. The first could arrive in the coming days, airport spokesmen said on Wednesday.
The second largest German airport in Munich is expecting 45 temporary workers from Turkey. Every helping hand is needed, said spokeswoman Corinna Born. The temporary workers are mainly supposed to put suitcases on the baggage carousel and take on other tasks in the office of the ground handling service, but not work directly on the aircraft.
They had already passed the security check upon entry. A health check and two days of training followed in Munich.
Against the background of expected traffic growth, the airport subsidiary Aeroground is looking for more permanent employees. You must be able to work hard physically in shifts and demonstrate elementary knowledge of German.
Another hurdle is the reliability check under the Aviation Security Act. The starting wage in the ground handling service is 14.38 euros per hour, plus surcharges, a Christmas bonus and a travel allowance.
Applicants “don’t run into us,” said Born. The temporary workers had been placed by a personnel service provider in Turkey and had to leave the country again by November 6th.
Nuremberg Airport is expecting 15 to 20 temporary workers from Turkey. They should not only load suitcases onto the conveyor belts, but possibly also clean airplanes. Airport spokesman Christian Albrecht said that payment would be made according to house rates.
The starting wage starts at 12.50 euros. With additional qualifications, for example for wheelchair service or with a driver’s license for aircraft tractors, there is more. In Nuremberg there are currently vacancies in baggage handling, cleaning, winter service, check-in and shop sales, as well as in the areas of IT, technology and construction drawings. Around 150 colleagues have been hired since December.
The Frankfurt airport operator Fraport decided not to hire temporary workers from Turkey because the workers offered did not have the expected qualifications. A spokesman said there was a lack of airport experience and knowledge of German.
Since the beginning of the year, Fraport has hired more than 1,000 people who are gradually arriving in the required functions. The situation will ease further in the fall.
In June, the industry associations had pushed for hiring 2,000 temporary workers from Turkey on easier terms, for example for luggage services. After a vote by three federal ministries, the actually prescribed check as to whether German employees are available for the jobs will be dispensed with.
