German airline Lufthansa and the Verdi trade union have agreed on new wage and working conditions for around 25,000 members of the ground staff. The airline and unions made the announcement this evening following the successful conclusion of negotiations.
Germany thus avoided another large-scale strike that would have affected hundreds of thousands of passengers. Problems due to previous protests also disrupted the connection with the Czech Republic.
New negotiations, mediated by Thuringian Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow and former head of the Federal Labor Office Frank-Jürgen Weise, began on Monday.
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The deadline for reaching an agreement was considered to be today, but Thursday morning at the latest. On Thursday, the unions wanted to decide on the announcement of another strike, which could paralyze Easter traffic.
“We are satisfied with the outcome of the conciliation proceedings,” the DPA agency quoted trade union negotiator Marvin Reschinski as saying. The airlines also expressed their satisfaction, but noted that the increase in wages will bring with it greater costs.
Details of the agreement will be released by trade unionists and the airline on Thursday.
The Verdi unions demanded a wage increase of 12.5 percent, but at least 500 euros (12,600 CZK) per month, as well as a one-time anti-inflation bonus of 3,000 euros (roughly 75,800 CZK). In addition to the bonus, Lufthansa offered a ten percent increase in wages.
Previous talks between unions and airlines without intermediaries have ended in failure. The fact that the trade unions tried to increase the pressure on Lufthansa with a series of warning strikes did not help to find a solution either.
Problems due to the protest affected hundreds of thousands of passengers, and connections with the Czech Republic were also cancelled.
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