Three weeks after the first warning strike in Germany’s major seaports, the port workers are upping the ante in the current bargaining round. This time they want to stop work for 24 hours in the fight for higher wages. The impact on global freight traffic is likely to be large.
With the start of the morning shift, numerous dockworkers at Germany’s major seaports went on a warning strike on Thursday. According to the Verdi union, the locations in Hamburg, Emden, Bremerhaven, Bremen, Brake and Wilhelmshaven are affected. With the 24-hour work stoppage, the port workers want to increase the pressure on employers in the wage dispute. In Hamburg, the warning strike is to be accompanied by a demonstration (9 a.m.) that is to lead from the headquarters of the Central Association of German Seaport Companies (ZDS) to the trade union building.
Observers expect a significant impact on the handling of container and cargo ships. During the first warning strike three weeks ago, which only lasted a few hours, the loading and unloading of ships came to a standstill and the already tense situation was exacerbated by numerous delays. According to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, more than two percent of global freight capacity is now stuck in traffic jams in the North Sea due to the corona. In the German Bight alone, 15 container ships were waiting to be cleared in Hamburg or Bremerhaven.
Despite four rounds of negotiations, Verdi and the central association have not yet been able to reach an agreement. For the approximately 12,000 employees in the 58 collective bargaining companies in Hamburg, Lower Saxony and Bremen, the union is demanding an increase in hourly wages of 1.20 euros for a collective bargaining period of 12 months and an increase in the annual allowance of 1,200 euros in full container companies. In addition, Verdi demands an unspecified “actual compensation for inflation”.
In what it says is the “final” offer, the ZDS offers an increase in hourly wages of 1.20 euros for a tariff period of 18 months – in car handling by 90 cents – and agrees to the increase in the allowance by 1,200 euros. To compensate for inflation, there should be a one-time payment of 1000 euros in full container companies and 500 euros in conventional ones.
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