Arbitration for security guards
The risk of strikes at airports decreases significantly
April 8, 2024, 10:29 a.m
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Passengers can breathe a sigh of relief again. Another reason for the strike seems to have been ticked off, and the security staff managed to reach an agreement through an arbitrator’s decision. If both sides agree, there will be up to 15 percent more salary.
In German air traffic it is increasingly looking like quiet summer flight operations. Strikes have become significantly less likely after the Verdi union and the employers accepted an arbitrator’s ruling: This will resolve the collective bargaining dispute among the approximately 25,000 aviation security workers.
The agreement is still subject to approval by the respective committees. A corresponding declaration period runs until Tuesday afternoon. However, acceptance is considered likely because the arbitration recommendation has already been unanimously accepted.
As an arbitrator, the former Bremen State Councilor for Finance, Hans-Henning Lühr, reconciled the different positions behind closed doors at the weekend. In the end, there were salary increases in three stages between 13.1 and 15.1 percent over a period of 15 months, as the employers’ association BDLS reported. The collective agreement is scheduled to run until the end of March 2025.
Controversial topic postponed
The particularly contentious issue of overtime bonuses was postponed and will be negotiated again at the end of the year. Until then, the previous regulations apply.
Verdi had organized several rounds of warning strikes at the airports in the sensitive area. Alternating with strikes at Lufthansa, a large number of flights were canceled in the spring. Verdi had already accepted the arbitration award from Thuringian Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow and the former head of the employment agency Frank-Jürgen Weise for the Lufthansa ground staff.
At Lufthansa, negotiations with the UFO union for cabin crew have been postponed until the current week. According to the information, they were constructive. UFO had also already organized a strike.