Lufthansa and the UFO union have agreed on a collective agreement for the cabin crew of Germany’s largest airline, as both sides confirm. Over a period of three years, in addition to an inflation compensation bonus of 3,000 euros, there will be three salary increases totaling 17.4 percent, as the union reported. UFO has also committed itself not to call for industrial action for three months after the collective agreement expires at the turn of the year 2026/27.
The agreement is still subject to the union members agreeing to it in a new ballot. The collective agreement applies to around 19,000 flight attendants. Lufthansa had previously reached an agreement with its ground staff and security staff at airports. Further strikes in air traffic are therefore not to be expected. “The agreement now reached is good news for passengers, employees and Lufthansa,” explained Lufthansa Human Resources Director Michael Niggemann.
UFO had demanded a salary increase of 15 percent over a period of 18 months, in addition to the flat rate and higher allowances. After the negotiations initially failed, the employees stopped work on March 12th to emphasize their demands, thereby causing massive flight cancellations. A labor dispute could not be prevented in order to convince Lufthansa of the seriousness of the demands, explained UFO negotiator Harry Jaeger. “We can now be very satisfied with the result.”
Meanwhile, there are still two ongoing rounds of collective bargaining among Lufthansa’s cabin employees in Germany, but according to UFO, they are heading towards an agreement. The flight attendants of the regional airline Lufthansa Cityline should receive a similar package to their colleagues from the main brand. The Lufthansa subsidiary Discover Airlines is about concluding a collective agreement for the first time. “We are very confident that we will be able to conclude a tariff agreement with Discover on these topics shortly,” explained UFO collective bargaining officer Sara Grubisic.
UFO also sees a need for discussion with the employer about special rules for short-term additional assignments in the summer, which could be necessary again due to the ongoing staff shortage. “But there are no labor disputes here either,” said Jaeger.