German seaport companies have reached a new collective agreement with the trade union surprisingly quickly. Around 11,000 port workers in Hamburg and the other northern German coastal states will receive a 3.1 per cent wage increase and one-off payments from August.

It only took two days of negotiations before the trade union ver.di and the Central Association of German Seaport Operators (ZDS) reached a wage agreement. Ver.di had initially demanded an 8.4 per cent wage increase and appealed to the employers not to play for time. According to information from NDR, the employers initially offered 2.3 per cent. According to the ZDS, the collective agreement that has now been negotiated is valid for twelve months and includes higher bonuses from 2026 and a one-off payment of 1,200 or 1,800 euros, depending on the company.

For the employers, the agreement secures the competitiveness of the German seaports in a demanding environment and takes account of the current economic challenges, according to their negotiators.

The union speaks of a surprising and at the same time sustainable result. According to ver.di, members of the union will receive an additional day off per year.

Last year, the wage negotiations lasted several months, including warning strikes. This year, all parties involved obviously wanted to avoid them. That's a good thing.

kdk, NDR