Port workers in Emden plan to go on strike on Friday.

Job or career activities - Port workers in Emden plan to go on strike on Friday.

Verdi, a union, has called for a warning strike by port workers in Emden on Friday morning. The action will start at 6:00 am and end in the early afternoon, as stated on Thursday. This is the fourth time workers have taken this action during this round of collective bargaining after those in Hamburg, Bremen, and Bremerhaven stopped working temporarily. The reason for this is that the employers, Central Association of German Seaport Companies (ZDS), have not yet tabled an agreeable offer. The second round of negotiations on June 6th resulted in no outcome. The next round is scheduled for June 17th and 18th.

Maren Ulbrich, a Verdi negotiator, commented that employees are looking for significant wage increase, appreciation, and recognition of their work. The current employer offer does not result in a real increase in salary for them and the social component is completely inadequate. Verdi is demanding a three-euro increase in hourly wages starting from June 1st, along with a corresponding increase in shift allowances, including making up for the missed increase in shift allowances in the 2022 collective agreement. The term should be for a year.

"This is about ensuring that the lower wage groups receive much more income because inflation over the last few years has hit them hard," Ulbrich stressed. The ZDS has acknowledged this and included it in their current offer, but not to a great extent. In addition, wage differences between the different groups need to be reduced.

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1. The warning strike in Emden is expected to affect ports not only in Lower Saxony, such as Emden, but also in neighboring cities like Bremen and Bremerhaven.
2. The United Services Union, alongside Verdi, has supported the port workers in their demands for better wages and working conditions, extending their solidarity beyond their own members in Hamburg.
3. After the warning strike in Emden, the Central Association of German Seaport Operators ZDS is scheduled to hold further negotiations on June 17th and 18th, hoping to find a mutually acceptable solution.
4. In light of the warning strike, shipping companies operating in the ports of Emden, Bremen, and Bremerhaven may experience delays and could be forced to reroute their vessels to alternative hubs like Hamburg.
5. The ZDS has acknowledged the impact of inflation on lower wage groups, as highlighted by Maren Ulbrich, but, according to Verdi, their offer does not go far enough in providing a meaningful wage increase and addressing wage disparities.
6. The decision by Port workers in Emden to go on strike has garnered attention in the international shipping industry, with observers closely watching the outcome of the negotiations between Verdi and the Central Association of German Seaport Companies ZDS.

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