Warning strikes in German seaports ended

Whether at the terminals of Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA) in Waltershof and Tollerort or at Eurogate: the large container bridges with which boxes are moved onto the ship or vice versa were folded up. The situation was similar in the other German North Sea ports up to Emden. Late in the evening, co-negotiator Sylvi Krisch from ver.di announced that the strikes had ended.

Backlogs should be processed as quickly as possible

The Hamburg port operator HHLA said it had already informed its customers and partner companies about the warning strike on Monday. The company does not provide any specific information on how long it will take for the backlog in handling to be cleared. Efforts are being made to achieve this as soon as possible, said a spokesman.

Demonstration in the port of Hamburg

According to ver.di, more than 2,000 port workers gathered for a demonstration in Hamburg on Tuesday morning. They marched through the port area with banners and dressed in high-visibility vests and shouted slogans such as “The port remains ready for strike.” There was a rally at the Burchardkai container terminal.

Ver.di demands better pay for port workers

The background to the warning strike is collective bargaining between ver.di and the Central Association of German Seaport Companies (ZDS). The union is demanding 8.2 percent more wages for the approximately 11,000 employees in the seaports - over a period of twelve months. The ZDS recently submitted an increased offer. Among other things, it includes an increase in wages of 5.1 percent over a period of 19 months, as well as 300 euros more holiday pay and 460 euros for employees of large container companies.

Negotiations will begin again on Monday

Ver.di rejected the employers' last offer. The employers' association ZDS calls the warning strike disproportionate. Global supply chains are already tense, according to Managing Director Florian Keisinger. New negotiation dates have now been scheduled in Hamburg for Monday and Tuesday of next week.