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Jerome Cid | Dreamstime.com
The prospect of a widespread indefinite strike across Germany’s port network grew this week after member of the United Services Union (ver.di) voted to reject the latest employment offer from the Central Association of German Seaport Operators (ZDS).
Ver.di said 5,500 workers voted on the employers’ most recent proposal, which came in the fourth round of negotiations between the two, with just under 65% of members rejecting the offer.
ZDS’s latest offer comprises a 3.4% per hour wage increase, backdated to 1 August this year; a €200 increase in holiday pay; while for workers employed in “high-turnover container operations” are to receive an additional annual lump sum increased by €416 1 January 2027.
However, union representatives said employers were still leaving some aspects off the table for the 11,000 port employees in Hamburg, Bremen, Bremerhaven, Emden, Brake and Wilhelmshaven.
“With the offer of twelve months presented in the fourth round of negotiations, the employers are meeting the employees’ desire for a shorter term,” said ver.di chief negotiator Sylvi Krisch yesterday.
“However, the social component, which has a greater impact on the lower wage groups, is missing. The employers have repeatedly stated that the volume has been exhausted,” she added.
As a result, ver.di will now run a new ballot from now until the evening of 1 October 2026 and said that if 75% of its membership “are in favor of rejecting and initiating indefinite strikes, the Federal Tariff Commission will discuss and decide on the failure of the negotiations and the initiation of indefinite strikes”.
“If the negotiations fail, we will not automatically saddle up to the current status, but in case of doubt start from the beginning and with an open mind,” Ms Krisch added.
However, if the votes in favour of striking fail to breach the 75% threshold, “the ver.di Federal Tariff Commission will discuss and decide on the further course of action, for example acceptance of the offer”, the union added.
According to German logistics news outlet DVZ, Hamburg’s freight forwarders association warned its members that there is considerable uncertainty over the ver.di vote’s result and forwarders should prepare for “restrictions in handling, at terminals and in pre- and on-carriage”.