Germany’s ver.di trade union has accepted the latest wage offer for seaport workers, averting the immediate threat of indefinite strike action at the country’s major ports.
Ver.di’s Federal Collective Bargaining Commission approved the employers’ proposal following consultations over the long-running wage dispute.
The decision means indefinite strikes at Hamburg, Bremen, Bremerhaven, Emden, Brake and Wilhelmshaven have been averted for now.
However, approval from the employer side is still pending before the process is formally completed.
Ver.di accepts 12-month offer
The accepted proposal provides for a 12-month collective agreement and a 3.4% increase in hourly wages, retroactive to August 2026.
Holiday pay will increase by €200 for all employees covered by the agreement.
Workers at high-turnover container operations will also receive an additional €416 in their annual allowance from January 2027.
Ver.di negotiator Sylvi Krisch described the outcome as difficult but ultimately acceptable, with the union’s bargaining commission reaching its decision based on feedback from members and the overall situation.
The collective bargaining agreement covers around 11,000 employees at tariff-bound port companies in Germany.
Indefinite strike threat recedes
The decision brings the dispute back from the prospect of a major escalation after German port workers had previously rejected the same 12-month employer offer.
In September, more than 5,500 workers participated in an initial consultation, with 64.7% voting against the proposal.
Ver.di subsequently launched a membership consultation under the conditions of a formal strike ballot, which ran until the beginning of October.
The union had said that if at least 75% of participating members supported rejecting the offer and launching indefinite industrial action, its Federal Collective Bargaining Commission would consider declaring negotiations unsuccessful and proceeding towards indefinite strikes.
If that threshold was not reached, the commission would consider its next steps, including the possibility of accepting the employers’ offer.
Following the consultation, the commission has now opted to accept the proposal.
German ports faced two rounds of warning strikes
The agreement follows several weeks of industrial tensions across Germany’s major seaports.
Workers staged two rounds of warning strikes during the dispute, including 48-hour industrial action in early September affecting Hamburg, Bremerhaven, Bremen, Wilhelmshaven, Emden and Brake.
German port workers reject wage offer as renewed strikes loom – updated
The action disrupted terminal and vessel handling operations, with major container facilities in Hamburg among those affected.
Ver.di had initially demanded an 8.2% increase in hourly wages, or at least €2.50 more per hour, under a 12-month agreement.
Employers represented by the Central Association of German Seaport Operators (ZDS) subsequently presented two alternative proposals.
The 12-month option ultimately accepted by ver.di included the 3.4% wage increase, an additional €200 in holiday pay and a €416 increase in the allowance for employees at container handling operations.
With ver.di’s bargaining commission now accepting the proposal, the immediate threat of indefinite industrial action has receded. Formal approval from the employer side remains outstanding.
