Lufthansa ground staff get 12.5% ​​pay increase after multiple strikes

Employees will also receive a €3,000 bonus to help combat high inflation (representative)

German aviation giant Lufthansa said on Thursday that average wages for Lufthansa’s ground staff would rise by 12.5% ​​in a deal reached after a series of serious strikes.

The airline and the Verdi union, which represents about 25,000 ground staff, finally reached an agreement on Wednesday, averting the threat of a new strike during the Easter holidays.

The 12.5% ​​increase is in line with Verdi’s requirements and will be implemented in two phases over two years.

Staff will also receive a bonus of €3,000 to help combat high inflation, as well as improvements in other areas including additional holiday pay and flexible working hours.

Lufthansa had failed in multiple rounds of direct negotiations with Verdi, but finally made a breakthrough after agreeing to external arbitration.

“We fought hard to reach a compromise and now we feel very satisfied,” said Verdi negotiator Marvin Reschinsky.

“We have achieved real growth in real wages which will make up for the shortfall of recent years.”

Verdi members will still need to take part in a survey to decide whether to accept the deal, but the union has advised them to do so.

Ground staff went on strike in early March and again in February, both times leading to the cancellation of nearly the entire Lufthansa flight schedule.

Lufthansa cabin crew went on strike at major airports earlier this month, with the airline yet to reach a pay deal.

The group’s airlines, which include Lufthansa, Eurowings, Austrian Airlines, Swiss and Brussels Airlines, have had to be bailed out by the German government during the coronavirus pandemic.

But it has since rebounded strongly as travel has recovered, prompting unions to argue the airline is not passing on enough of its lucrative earnings to workers.

This week’s deal brings some much-needed good news to employers in Europe’s top economies, who face a tough wage-negotiation season as workers demand higher wages to offset inflation.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)