Lufthansa and the pilots’ union Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) have agreen on arbitration for the collective wage agreement and are aiming to reach a joint solution by the end of January.

Yesterday, both agreed to approach a mediator for the collective wage agreement together and the negotiating parties agreed to finalise the arbitration by the end of January and to maintain industrial peace regarding the collective wage agreement until then.

Lufthansa has been hit hard by strikes over the last few months, which has led to numerous flight cancellations.

The parties have not made any comment regarding the identity of the mediator, in order to ensure an uninterrupted and efficient arbitration process.

While there had been negotiations regarding the collective bargaining agreement over the last few months, they were not successful in bringing the respective positions closer together to a negotiated agreement. For this reason, Lufthansa and VC have agreed to request arbitration in order to achieve a lasting solution.

Lufthansa head of humane resource and legal affairs, Dr. Bettina Volkens says: “We have had some intense talks over the past months and have now succeeded in agreeing on arbitration for the collective wage agreement. The negotiating table is the only place where we can find solutions that offer prospects for employees and for the company.

“I am confident that we will be able to develop a fair solution with the assistance of a mediator. We want to arrive at a long-term industrial peace in cooperation with VC – for our customers, our employees and our shareholders.”