Dialogue with employee representatives
Worker co-determination at the HHLA Group
Co-determination and social partnership negotiations of employee interests have traditionally been a valuable asset at HHLA and its subsidiaries. In addition to Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG, 14 other HHLA subsidiaries in Germany are managed on the basis of co-determination. These are represented by a total of nine works council committees and the Group works council. There is also employee representation (including that of the senior staff) on the Supervisory Board, which is composed equally of men and women, and representation for disabled people at the company and Group level.
HHLA is a member company of ZDS (Zentralverband der deutschen Seehafenbetriebe) and UVHH (Unternehmensverband Hafen Hamburg e.V.). Collective bargaining has a long tradition at HHLA, which is reflected in various sector and company wage agreements. As of 31 December 2023, 80.8 % (previous year: 82.9 %) of employees in Germany were covered by collective bargaining agreements. In the reporting period, there was, pursuant to the relevant agreements, no collective bargaining for the German seaports. The current collective bargaining agreement for port workers at German seaport operators ends on 31 May 2024 after a term of 24 months and can be terminated with to a two-month notice period.
At an international level, collective bargaining partnerships with various local trade unions at the Odessa and Trieste sites continue to be in place. At the company’s location in Estonia, a representative elected by the employees negotiates all staff-related interests with the company.
In Germany, approx. 800 new co-determination proceedings were initiated in 2023. Of these, more than 20 Group works agreements and/or regulations were successfully concluded at Group level alone.
In the reporting period, numerous negotiations and other participation-oriented events were held at HHLA with regard to existing transformation processes and with the aim of putting the company on a secure footing for the future in line with market requirements. These included the agreement of fair and transparent interest settlements and life stage-appropriate working time models. Insofar as the underlying legal conditions are safeguarded, HHLA supports the right to freedom of association and collective bargaining.
Various informational options and formats, such as social intranet, info screens in the canteens and FAQs, are available to employees as the foundation for a participation-based partnership. On account of the exceptional situation due to the talks that have been ongoing since September 2023 concerning an investment of Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) in HHLA, additional informational events were offered, including a Group works meeting in November 2023 attended by approx. 1,200 HHLA employees and with the participation of the relevant senior managers and Executive Board members.
To enable employees to share ideas more effectively among themselves and with the company’s management team, a series of workshops, the HHLA future labs, was developed. Interested employees took part in this dialogue format in small groups in the reporting period and jointly discussed the various issues and topics. These kinds of Echo workshops as well as the numerous project teams and working groups are set up on a participation basis and enable managers and employees to develop specific topics together.
The aim of all HHLA informational formats is to enable employees to understand the reasons for upcoming changes and to actively engage in shaping the transformation.