Hundreds of flights have been cancelled after public sector workers walked out at airports in Frankfurt, Munich, Dusseldorf and several other German cities in a strike for higher wages.

Germany's largest airline Lufthansa alone said it was cancelling 600 flights today, from primarily within Europe, as a result of the strike.

The Ver.di union says it is holding the one-day warning strike to pressure employers ahead of a third round of negotiations for 2.1 million federal and municipal employees. The union is pushing for a 100 euro (£83) one-off payment and a 3.5% wage increase and says it has not yet received a counter offer.

Ver.di says the strikes, also at Hamburg, Cologne, Stuttgart and Hannover, affect ground services, service, maintenance and other workers.

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