Lufthansa and the Vereinigung Cockpit pilot’s union have reached an agreement regarding all previously unresolved collective bargaining matters, in a deal lasting until 2022.
Both parties have agreed to provisions for transitional payments, pension plans, the framework agreement on employment conditions and the collective wage agreement for the pilots of Lufthansa, Lufthansa Cargo and Germanwings.
The details of the various collective bargaining agreements (KTV) will be worked out over the coming months.
Lufthansa says the agreement provides a one-off balance-sheet reduction through the conversion of the pension schemes, in return 325 aircraft will be crewed in the current KTV flight operations in stages by 2022.
The airline says this will make it possible to hire trainee pilots, while a reciprocal agreement to refrain from industrial action for the duration of the talks has already been reached and is set to be formalised in a collective bargaining agreement lasting until 2022.
Deutsche Lufthansa head of legal affairs and human resources, Dr Bettina Volkens says: “This is not only the end of the longest collective bargaining dispute in our company’s history – it also creates a sustainable deal that will last until 2022 and, at the same time, lays the foundation for a new social partnership with the Vereinigung Cockpit.”
She says it has been challenging for everyone involved, saying: “The path to this result exacted a heavy toll from everyone involved – but, in the interest of Lufthansa, our employees, customers and shareholders, it was worth it. Today, I would like to thank everyone who made this success possible.”
