The collective bargaining dispute over the wages of port workers in the German North Sea ports has been settled. The Federal Collective Bargaining Commission of the Verdi union agreed on Tuesday to a negotiation result reached the night before with the Central Association of German Seaport Companies (ZDS), as Verdi negotiator Maya Schwiegershausen-Güth said.
However, the approval is still subject to the condition that the Verdi members in the affected companies agree to it. The final decision is to be made in the collective bargaining commission on September 5, as Schwiegershausen-Güth announced.
According to the trade unionist, there was a “relatively clear” mood for the acceptance in the collective bargaining commission, especially since it was possible to get noticeably better conditions for the employees. This means that a renewed industrial dispute in the ports is very likely off the table.
Verdi most recently paralyzed goods and container handling there in mid-July. There had already been warning strikes that had lasted one shift or one day. Before the start of the tenth round of negotiations, Verdi had already discussed a ballot on a forced strike in a leaflet to the workforce.
The conflict came at an inopportune time for the already strained supply chains. Since the outbreak of the corona pandemic two and a half years ago, global container shipping traffic has become increasingly out of sync. Every disruption, such as lockdowns in individual ports, an accident like that of the “Ever Given” in the Suez Canal or industrial disputes throws additional stumbling blocks and reduces the punctuality of the ships.
Verdi and the ZDS had been fighting for a new collective agreement for 12,000 employees in the North Sea ports for months. At its core, the conflict recently revolved around how Verdi’s demand for compensation for the currently excessive inflation should be dealt with.
In the deadlocked dispute, the union insisted on securing real wages for all employees for the entire term of a collective agreement. While Verdi favored a twelve-month collective agreement, the employers aimed for a term of 24 months. Until recently, it was controversial according to which criteria and with which mechanisms a contract in the second year can be subsequently adjusted or even terminated if inflation remains high.
