BERLIN (AFP) - Thousands of passengers in Germany face disruption on Thursday (Jan 10) following a strike call by security staff at three major airports, the powerful Verdi union said.

The walkout was to begin at 3am (10am Singapore time) in the airports of Dusseldorf, Cologne-Bonn and Stuttgart, and was to continue until midnight, the union said on Wednesday.

A warning strike took place on Monday morning at Berlin's two airports, Tegel and Schoenefeld, forcing the cancellation of about 50 flights.

Verdi, which represents 23,000 airport security personnel, wants wages raised to €20 (S$31) an hour from around €17 currently, an increase of around 17 per cent.

The BDLS employers association has offered pay increases of between 2 and 8.1 per cent.

The next round of talks is scheduled for Jan 23.