- At the German airline Lufthansa there has been an agreement with another part of the ground staff in the dispute over wages.
- The employers and the Verdi union have accepted the recommendation of an arbitrator, as both sides announced.
- This includes a gradual wage increase of around 13 to around 15 percent for the approximately 25,000 aviation security staff.
The agreement is still pending, 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.
Huge plus in wages
In the end, there were wage increases in three stages between 13.1 and 15.1 percent over a period of 15 months, as the employers’ association BDLS reported. Verdi negotiator Wolfgang Pieper said it would be possible to “sustainably compensate for the loss of purchasing power of employees.” The collective agreement is scheduled to run until the end of March 2025.
However, the conflicting parties were unable to resolve a crucial sticking point. The controversial issue of overtime bonuses for full-time and part-time employees was excluded and will be negotiated again towards the end of the year.
Legend:
The new agreement should largely end the series of strikes at German airports.
Arch/REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski
Pressure built up over several warning strikes
Strikes brought eleven airports across Germany to a standstill on February 1st and also massively affected air traffic in early and mid-March. Without security checkers for passengers, staff and goods, many flights had to be canceled. Recently, arbitration among Lufthansa ground staff brought an end to labor disputes.
An open collective bargaining dispute in aviation is currently the negotiations between Lufthansa and the UFO cabin union over higher wages for the airline’s approximately 18,000 flight attendants. The negotiations have been postponed until the current week. According to the information, they were constructive. UFO had also already organized a strike.