Germany awaits air and rail strike travel chaos

By Sylvia Westall

BERLIN, March 4 (Reuters) - German unions called on Tuesday for airport and rail service strikes across the country which could disrupt travel for millions and hurt the economy.

The Verdi union said workers at eight airports, including Frankfurt, will strike on Wednesday to increase pressure on the government to agree to an 8 percent wage hike for some 2 million public-sector workers.

The ARV airport union said the strikes, which will affect luggage handlers, fire service workers and ground transportation staff, could dent competitiveness in Europe's largest economy.

"Strikes could cause immense economic damage for German airports in terms of global competitiveness," the union said in a statement.

German airline Deutsche Lufthansa (LHAG.DE) urged passengers to take the train and said it would cut 142 mainly domestic flights. It said intercontinental flights would depart and arrive as planned.

Unions representing the striking public sector workers will begin a fifth round of wage talks on Thursday.

Berlin commuters will also face travel disruption on Wednesday as part of a separate wage dispute, when around 12,000 workers from the BVG union begin an open-ended strike on the capital's buses, trams and underground system.

Dubbed a "mega wage year" by one of Germany's leading unions, 2008 has already seen industrial action by public sector workers and a 5.2 percent pay rise for steel workers, their biggest in 16 years.

Economists say generous wage increases, if used as a benchmark, could endanger price stability and attract the attention of the European Central Bank (ECB).

In another wage dispute, the GDL train drivers' union said on Tuesday it could hold strikes on German passenger and freight services from next week, escalating a months-long dispute with rail operator Deutsche Bahn.

Economists estimate that a 62-hour GDL rail strike in November, Germany's biggest ever, cost the economy 75 million euros ($114.1 million) a day.

"A new set of rail strikes would be another endurance test for the German economy," Economy Minister Michael Glos told German daily Handelsblatt. "Further strikes hurt us all and also damage wage autonomy."

The 34,000 member GDL union broke off talks with Deutsche Bahn on Monday over the details of a pay deal agreed in January and threatened fresh strikes if the accord was not finalised this week. (Additional reporting by Iain Rogers in Berlin, Philipp Halstrick and James Regan in Frankfurt; Editing by Caroline Drees)