Passengers on the Hadag ferries in the port of Hamburg have to look for alternatives on Thursday and Friday. Due to a warning strike called by the Verdi union, the subsidiary of Hamburger Hochbahn does not expect to be able to start operations. “The company will decide to what extent operational services are possible during the strike,” said Hadag on Wednesday.
After an initial 24-hour warning strike in mid-February, the Verdi union has now called on workers to go on strike for 48 hours. It starts at 4 a.m. on Thursday and ends at 4 a.m. on Saturday, said a Verdi spokesman. All local public transport on the water is affected, including the ship connections to the Airbus plant in Finkenwerder. The same applies to the ferry connection to the musical theaters on Steinwerder, which take over a barge company as an alternative, said the spokesman.
Among other things, Verdi is demanding a table-based increase of 700 euros for the employees over a period of twelve months. According to its own statements, Hadag has so far offered an increase in the collective wages of almost 20 percent for a period of 36 months. The Hadag ferries transport around eleven million passengers every year. According to Verdi, around half of the workforce has left the company since 2018 as a result of the high workload and better pay at competing companies.
Hadag announced that it could not understand the warning strike, also in view of the fourth round of negotiations on April 24, which had already been agreed. “Instead of striving for solutions together through negotiation, the union is sticking to its claim.” Including all ancillary demands, this would correspond to an average increase of more than 30 percent. “From the point of view of the employer, this demand lacks any down-to-earthness.”
