German port workers have rejected the latest wage offer from employers, pushing the labor dispute at the country’s major seaports into a new and potentially more disruptive phase.
More than 5,500 port workers participated in the consultation conducted by the United Services Trade Union (ver.di), with 64.7% voting against the latest proposal.
Following the rejection, ver.di will now launch a membership consultation under the conditions of a formal strike ballot, which will run until the evening of 1 October 2026.
The development raises the prospect of indefinite industrial action at Germany’s major seaports if sufficient support is secured.
The collective bargaining dispute covers around 11,000 employees at tariff-bound port companies in Hamburg, Bremerhaven, Bremen, Wilhelmshaven, Emden and Brake.
Latest wage offer rejected
The rejected proposal followed the fourth round of negotiations between ver.di and the Central Association of German Seaport Operators (ZDS).
Under the 12-month option considered by union members, employers offered a 3.4% wage increase, retroactive to 1 August 2026, together with additional payments.
The proposal also included an additional €416 allowance for employees at full-container operations and €200 in additional holiday pay.
ZDS had also proposed an alternative 18-month package offering a 5.1% wage increase, a guaranteed increase of €1.20 per hour, an additional €616 container-sector allowance and higher holiday pay.
The employers had previously criticized ver.di for putting only the 12-month option to its members.
Ver.di’s original demand includes an 8.2% increase in hourly wages, or at least €2.50 more per hour, under a 12-month collective agreement.
Vote could pave way for indefinite strikes
Following the rejection of the latest offer, the dispute is now moving into the process that ver.di had warned could follow if workers voted against the proposal.
The union will conduct a membership consultation until the evening of 1 October under the conditions of a formal strike ballot.
If at least 75% of participating members vote against the employers’ offer and support indefinite industrial action, ver.di’s Federal Collective Bargaining Commission will consider declaring the negotiations unsuccessful and initiating indefinite strikes.
Such action would represent a significant escalation from the warning strikes staged during the dispute so far.
German port workers have already carried out two rounds of warning strikes.
The most recent action included a 48-hour strike that affected Hamburg, Bremerhaven, Bremen, Wilhelmshaven, Emden and Brake in early September.
At the Port of Hamburg, the action affected major container facilities, including HHLA’s terminals at Altenwerder, Burchardkai and Tollerort, as well as the Eurogate container terminal.
Further industrial action of indefinite duration could have significantly broader implications for vessel handling, container terminal operations and inland cargo flows through Germany’s major seaport gateways.
Attention will now turn to the 1 October deadline, which could determine whether the dispute moves towards renewed negotiations or escalates into indefinite strike action.
