Germany’s flag carrier Lufthansa Airlines Group has agreed to raise the salary of its pilots at Lufthansa and Lufthansa Cargo following the frequent strikes this year.
“Lufthansa and the German pilots’ union Vereinigung Cockpit union have agreed on a pay increase for pilots at Lufthansa and Lufthansa Cargo. The cockpit crews will receive an increase in their basic monthly pay of 490 euros each in two stages – with retroactive effect from 1 August 2022, and as of 1 April 2023,” a press release from Lufthansa Group stated.
The deal contains a comprehensive peace commitment through June 30, 2023, during which strikes are prohibited. So there is now a sector of employees who refuse to allow any further strike calls that stop flights till next June. This provides clients and staff with planning security, according to the company.
Chief Human Resources Officer and Labor Director of the Deutsche Lufthansa Airlines Group, Michael Niggemann said, “We are pleased to have reached this agreement with Vereinigung Cockpit. The increase in basic salary with uniform base amounts leads to the desired higher proportional increase in entry-level salaries.”
“We now want to use the next few months in a trusting dialogue with Vereinigung Cockpit to find and implement sustainable solutions. The common goal is to continue to offer our pilots attractive and secure jobs with prospects for further development going forward,” Niggemann added.
The deal specifically favors entry-level pay. According to Lufthansa Airlines Group, an entry-level co-pilot will get around 20% more basic pay, while a captain in the final grade will receive 5.5% more basic pay.
For example, a Lufthansa pilot strike on September 2 resulted in roughly 800 aircraft cancellations, affecting nearly 130,000 passengers. Protests were staged at Delhi Airport by around 700 passengers, virtually all of them were heading for Canada and were scheduled to fly to Frankfurt and Munich that night. While they were protesting inside the terminal, families and friends blocked the T3 door.
On the intervening night of Friday, stranded travellers and their family protested loudly at Delhi airport. That night, the police had to intervene to restore traffic flow at the port. Another strike call was issued on September 7 and 8, but it was fortunately rescinded.
The pilots’ union Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) stated that Lufthansa pilots will go on strike for all flights by the core passenger company and its cargo division, requesting a 5.5 percent wage increase this year and automatic inflation adjustments until 2023.
During the coronavirus outbreak, Lufthansa cancelled the agreement and began establishing a new airline with lower pay scale conditions, circumventing the collective agreement.
According to Lufthansa Group, both collective bargaining partners will continue their productive dialogue on a variety of themes throughout this period. Lufthansa and Vereinigung Cockpit have decided to keep further details and discussions private.
The agreement is still subject to detailed formulation and approval by the responsible bodies, Lufthansa Group said.