(new: details.)

HAMBURG/BREMEN (dpa-AFX) - Shortly before the fourth round of negotiations in the wage dispute between seaport companies, employees and the trade union Verdi are flexing their muscles once again. In the early morning, numerous port workers in Hamburg stopped work for a two-day warning strike. "Container handling is at a standstill at a whole host of handling companies, and we believe that the first day of the warning strike (...) was a complete success," said André Kretschmar, the Verdi department head responsible for the maritime industry. In the afternoon, the port workers in Bremerhaven also wanted to join the warning strike: Around 3200 employees from Bremen and Bremerhaven are to paralyze the port, according to a Verdi spokesperson. At the start, around 600 men and women stopped work.

For Hamburg, Verdi called on the employees to remain on warning strike on Wednesday or to resume work - and not to resume before the end of the night shift. A rally is planned at 10.00 a.m. in front of the headquarters of the Central Association of German Seaports (ZDS). This will be followed by a demonstration march past the headquarters of the port logistics company HHLA to the trade union building, where a final rally is to be organized around midday. The fourth round of negotiations is planned for Thursday and Friday in Bremen. A rally is planned to kick off the negotiations, said a union spokesperson. A warning strike is also planned in Emden.

Verdi is demanding, among other things, an increase in hourly wages of three euros retroactively to June 1 and a corresponding increase in shift allowances for employees with a collective agreement term of twelve months. The Central Association of German Seaport Operators recently offered a wage increase of 2.9 percent as of June 1, but at least 80 cents more per hour. The shift premiums are to increase by 33 cents to 3.50 euros.

The ZDS called on the union to maintain moderation and moderation when exercising the right to strike. "In light of the constructive rounds of negotiations to date and the fair offer presented, the ZDS believes that there is currently no reason for warning strikes that would impair the reliability of German seaports."

Warning strikes had already taken place in mid-June in several northern German ports, including Hamburg, Brake and Emden. Port workers also went on strike at the central entrances and exits to the terminals in Bremerhaven, with only emergency staff on duty. According to Verdi, more than 1,000 employees were involved./klm/DP/men