News / German dockers begin two-day strike adding to congestion woes

© Lasse Behnke

Dockers walked out of German ports at six o’clock this morning at the start of a 48-hour strike that will paralyse the import and export trade of Europe’s largest economy.

Last minute talks between the employers, the Central Association of German Seaport Companies (ZDS) and the trade union ver.di, representing 12,000 port workers, were suspended yesterday evening with no agreement in sight.

The third ‘warning strike’ is the longest so far and will further aggravate port congestion at Hamburg’s container terminals where ...