Lufthansa and ver.di want arbitration in the tariff dispute

There is to be an arbitration procedure in the collective bargaining dispute between ver.di and Lufthansa’s ground staff. There will be no further strikes for the time being. However, there are still other tariff conflicts in German air traffic.

The collective bargaining dispute between Lufthansa ground staff and the employer is heading towards arbitration. Both the ver.di union and Lufthansa are aiming for arbitration proceedings as quickly as possible, the company said. A duty of peace should apply during the mediation.

Getting closer to a solution

A ver.di spokeswoman also confirmed the intention to mediate to the dpa news agency. The company said that during the round of negotiations yesterday and today it was not possible to agree on a new collective agreement for the approximately 20,000 employees of ground staff, Lufthansa Technik, Lufthansa Cargo and other companies.

According to a statement, Lufthansa Human Resources Director Michael Niggemann said that they had come closer to a solution, but that it had not yet been finalized. “Together we now want to use mediation to clarify the outstanding points in order to then reach an agreement.” It was agreed not to disclose the content of the discussions and the variants discussed.

For passengers, however, an agreement in the ground staff’s collective bargaining dispute would only mean a small relief, as several collective bargaining disputes in German air traffic are still open.

12.5 percent more salary required

Lufthansa ground staff have stopped work twice in the past few weeks to put the company under pressure. The majority of Lufthansa flights were canceled, meaning around 100,000 travelers had to change their plans each time.

The union is calling for a 12.5 percent increase in salaries for ground workers, but at least 500 euros per month for a period of twelve months. There will also be a one-off inflation compensation bonus of 3,000 euros.