Social partners at Eurogate, one of the largest port operators in Germany, with around 5,000 employees, penned a collective agreement “on the future” at the end of 2018, following several years of talks. The agreement is valid for 10 years and provides for pro-active management by social partners of the company’s automation process. Among the new steps taken as part of the agreement is the creation of a joint automation committee, with veto power, in order to guide transformation at the company, which should be carefully supervised and protect workers as far as possible. Eurogate’s management and the Verdi trade union also reached an agreement on sizeable investments in training and well as socially “acceptable” adjustments to working time and wages. This is the first agreement of this type and on a subject that is far-reaching, affecting all sectors. Christian Schadow, negotiator for Verdi, shone greater light on the deal when speaking to Planet Labor.
Supervising the transition to ensure progress without job losses. Like its European competitors, Eurogate, one of the leading German port terminal managers (5,000 employees), which is also present on the large port of Rotterdam, is confronted with the growing automation of a large portion of its activities, which consist primarily of the management of intermodal goods traffic at the ports’ departure or arrival points. The overwhelming majority of these goods circulate inside metal containers. “We have known for four years that our sector will be strongly affected by automation and digitisation.
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