Shipping companies and terminal operators can breathe a sigh of relief: As announced, the strikers are going back to work. Previously, the handling of container and cargo ships was almost impossible.
After a 24-hour warning strike in Germany’s major seaports, the handling of container and cargo ships is to be resumed today. According to the Verdi union, the strike by the port workers should have ended with the start of the early shift.
On Thursday morning, employees in Hamburg, Emden, Bremen, Bremerhaven, Brake and Wilhelmshaven stopped work, largely paralyzing the ports. It was the second warning strike in three weeks. Before that, there were no work stoppages among the dockers for many years.
Strike mattered
From the union’s point of view, the effects on the already severely disrupted handling of container and cargo ships were considerable. According to the Verdi negotiator Maya Schwiegershausen-Güth, cranes and systems were standing still everywhere – and the delays at the quay edge were again significantly increased.
According to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, more than two percent of global freight capacity is already stuck in the North Sea due to the corona pandemic. According to the latest data from Tuesday, 15 container ships were waiting to be cleared in Hamburg or Bremerhaven in the German Bight alone.
The Hamburg shipping company Hapag-Lloyd reacted accordingly irritated. “Every day that a ship is, of course, costs us money, annoyed customers, consumers, seafarers and also our shore staff,” said a spokesman. The strikes contributed to the extremely tense situation and damaged the reputation of the Port of Hamburg.
The core of the collective bargaining for the approximately 12,000 employees in the 58 collectively bargained companies in Hamburg, Lower Saxony and Bremen is about inflation compensation. When it comes to classic fee negotiations, Verdi and the Central Association of German Seaport Companies (ZDS) are no longer so far apart.
One requirement: inflation compensation
With a tariff term of 12 months, Verdi is demanding an increase in hourly wages of 1.20 euros and in full container operations an increase in the annual allowance of 1200 euros. In what it says is the “final” offer, the ZDS accepts an increase in hourly wages of 1.20 euros for a tariff period of 18 months – in car handling by 90 cents – and also agrees to an increase in the allowance of 1200 euros.
To compensate for inflation, the ZDS offers a one-time payment of 1000 euros in full container companies and 500 euros in conventional companies – which the Verdi union is not enough. “We need a strong sip from the bottle. (…) We have to stop the inflation monster,” said Schwiegershausen-Güth. In May, inflation in Germany was 7.9 percent.
According to union information, more than 4,000 port workers had gathered in Hamburg to emphasize their demands, the police spoke of around 3,500 so severe that the police threatened to abandon the event. The office building of BLG Logistics Group AG & Co KG in Bremen had previously been damaged after the unsuccessful fourth round of negotiations.
Source: Stern
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
