Struggle for more pay

Warning strike paralyzes several German seaports

(Bild: AFP/Axel Heimken)

At the start of the third round of wage negotiations, employees at several seaports in Germany have increased the pressure on employers with another warning strike. In Hamburg alone, they largely paralyzed port and container handling from 5 a.m. on Monday (pictured above).

"The port of Hamburg is at a standstill," said a spokesperson for the Verdi trade union. The same applies to the ports of Brake and Emden in Lower Saxony as well as the ports of Bremen and Bremerhaven. Ships will not be handled at the large container terminals, it said.

Warning strike to last up to 48 hours
According to the union, the warning strike should last between 24 and 48 hours, depending on the location, parallel to the third round of negotiations on Monday and Tuesday.

Verdi is demanding, among other things, an increase in hourly wages of three euros retroactively to June 1 and a corresponding increase in shift bonuses for employees with a collective agreement term of twelve months.

The Central Association of German Seaport Operators has so far offered a wage increase of 2.5 percent as of June 1, but at least 60 cents more per hour. The shift premiums are to increase by between 24 cents and 2.50 euros.