Warning Strikes at Hamburg’s Major Theaters

Just as the Elbe Tunnel, which had been blocked for over nine hours due to strikes, reopened, cultural workers in Hamburg also walked off the job, joining other public sector employees in a coordinated warning strike.

Cultural Workers Join Public Sector Strikes

As the third round of collective bargaining for federal and municipal public sector employees took place in Potsdam, cultural workers in Hamburg launched additional strikes. Early in the morning, employees from the cultural sector gathered in front of the Elbphilharmonie to push for higher wages. According to the Verdi union, striking workers also included employees from city cleaning services, the Hamburg Port Authority (HPA), Autobahn GmbH, and HADAG ferries.

Theater Performances Canceled or Adjusted Due to Strikes

Employees at the Deutsches Schauspielhaus, Hamburg State Opera, Thalia Theater, and Elbphilharmonie walked off the job under the slogan “Without Us, It Remains Silent.” Due to the strike, the Deutsches Schauspielhaus canceled its scheduled performance of Dialog/Dionysos, while a concert by Moritz Fasbender was postponed.

Thalia Theater announced that its production of Kafka’s The Trial (Der Prozess) would proceed with “strike-related adjustments.” Meanwhile, the Hamburg State Opera stated that Donizetti’s Don Pasquale would be performed as a concert version rather than a full staging. The only venue unaffected was the Elbphilharmonie, which declared, “All events will take place as scheduled.”

City Cleaning Workers to Continue Strike on Saturday

Municipal cleaning workers plan to continue their strike on Saturday, affecting waste collection, street cleaning, bulky waste pickup, and recycling centers. Meanwhile, the HADAG ferry strike, which began on Thursday and disrupted ferry services on the Elbe, is set to last until Saturday at 4:00 AM.

Elbe Tunnel Reopens, But Traffic Remains Congested

The Elbe Tunnel had been completely closed from 9:00 PM on Thursday due to a strike in the tunnel operations center. By early Friday morning, the tunnel was reopened. “The Elbe Tunnel is open again,” a spokesperson for Hamburg’s traffic control center confirmed. Traffic resumed from Waltershof northbound, and southbound lanes were also reopened. By 7:00 AM, all access ramps were clear.

Despite the reopening, traffic remained sluggish. Southbound congestion initially stretched for about four kilometers, while northbound traffic was back to normal morning rush-hour levels.

Bargaining Talks: Unions Demand Pay Increases, Employers Call Them Unaffordable

The strikes are directly tied to ongoing public sector wage negotiations in Potsdam. The Verdi union is demanding an 8% salary increase for public sector employees, or at least an additional €350 per month, along with three extra paid vacation days. Employers, however, have rejected these demands as financially unfeasible.