Dock workers at Germany’s North Sea ports went on strike Friday in the latest of several walkouts that have added pressures on shipping as their union demands a hefty pay rise to counter high inflation, the Associated Press informed.
The 48-hour strike, which ended on Saturday morning, has largely paralyzed cargo handling at major ports including Hamburg, Bremerhaven and Wilhelmshaven, news agency dpa reported. It follows a 24-hour walkout in June and a previous one-shift warning strike.
However, there will be no further strikes before late August under a deal reached which calls for the two sides to set three further dates for negotiations up to Aug. 26. Courts in several cities had rejected bids by employers for injunctions halting this week’s strike.
So far, seven rounds of negotiations haven’t produced any results. The dispute comes as shipping already has been disrupted by a variety of issues, including the coronavirus restrictions in China.
