Budapest  - One of three terminals at Budapest's Ferihegy International Airport was closed from 4 pm Monday as ground staff resumed a strike over pay and conditions.

In a repeat of the first days of industrial action six weeks earlier, crowds of hundreds of confused passengers amassed in the check-in area after security gates were closed.

Ground staff began their strike over terms and conditions on December 10.

On December 22, the unions suspended the strike for the holidays and returned to the negotiating table.

"Management has made no serious attempt in the past few weeks to solve the industrial dispute," the two unions behind the strike said in a statement.

The airport operator Budapest Airport (BA) promptly announced that passengers should expect delays of a few hours, but sought to assure them that no cancellations would be necessary.

In the early evening, hundreds of confused travellers began to fill the check in area after the security gates closed, but checking restarted after about an hour.

As in the two-week strike in the run up to Christmas, passengers were slowed by bottlenecks at the few open security gates in just one of the airport's three terminals.

Budapest Airport spokesman Domokos Szollar announced the closure of terminal 1 shortly after talks with union leaders broke down on Monday afternoon. All processing of passengers and aircraft was transferred to two other terminals.

"Aircraft are leaving from terminal 2B and ticketing is taking place at 2A," said Szollar. He added that 164 of 243 ground staff scheduled to work remained at their posts despite the unions' call for industrial action.

In their strike, ground staff are demanding that Budapest Airport (BA), a subsidiary of the German firm Hochtief, end a restructuring programme and extend an existing collective employment contract.

Other demands included backdated overtime payments and a pledge from management that there will be no job cuts before 2010 and no further outsourcing.

Although dozens of flights were cancelled in the chaotic first few days of the December strike, management managed to restore a full schedule.

All available staff were concentrated at one terminal and, in a controversial move, temporary security staff were drafted in from Greece.

"Despite the strike restarting on Monday, Budapest Airport is ready to resume negotiations at 10 am on Tuesday," said Szollar. (dpa)