Tariff agreement in air transport
Lufthansa cabin crew receive more money
April 11, 2024, 10:27 a.m
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The comprehensive strikes at Lufthansa that were threatened for the travel summer have been averted. The company agrees on a new collective agreement with the UFO cabin union. Flight attendant salaries will increase in three stages. But not all employees can breathe a sigh of relief.
Airline passengers no longer have to fear major strikes in German air traffic this summer. With Lufthansa’s cabin crew, the last major professional group in the industry has concluded the cornerstones of a new collective agreement, as the company and the Independent Flight Attendants Organization (UFO) union announced in Frankfurt.
The long term of three years guarantees collective bargaining peace in the cabin until the end of 2026. In three stages, the salaries of the almost 19,000 employees, including the interest effect, will rise by 17.4 percent. Some allowances will also be increased. In addition, it was agreed that an inflation compensation bonus of 3,000 euros would be paid out as soon as possible. The agreement is still subject to the UFO members agreeing to it in a new ballot.
The union had originally demanded 15 percent more money for half the term of 18 months. Salaries will now increase by 8 percent on May 1 of this year, by 5 percent on March 1, 2025 and finally by 3.5 percent on March 1, 2026. This results in an increase of 17.4 percent for the entire period with the interest effect. UFO has also committed itself not to call for industrial action for three months after the collective agreement expires at the turn of the year 2026/27.
No solution for Lufthansa subsidiaries yet
Most recently, UFO paralyzed Lufthansa’s flight operations with a strike on March 12th. The cabin union decided against another strike over Easter. The key points agreement reached has already been approved by the union and company committees. “The agreement now reached is good news for passengers, employees and Lufthansa,” explained Lufthansa Human Resources Director Michael Niggemann.
The agreement does not include employees on the aircraft of the Lufthansa subsidiaries Cityline and Discover. UFO once again reported progress in the discussions on the respective company collective agreements, but there are no solutions yet. The dispute at the holiday airline Discover also put a strain on the discussions at Lufthansa’s parent company. At the holiday airline, which was founded almost three years ago, pilots and flight attendants want to enforce the first collective agreements.
Before Easter, Lufthansa and Verdi resolved the collective bargaining dispute among Lufthansa ground staff through arbitration. The Verdi members accepted the result with 94.5 percent approval. The pilots have been bound to a long-term collective agreement for a long time. Last weekend there was also a compromise for the private aviation security forces at the airports through arbitration. In the spring, the three professional groups repeatedly went on strike and paralyzed large parts of German air traffic.