Shortly before the Easter holidays, it looked like an uncomfortable time for Lufthansa passengers. Ground workers had already gone on strike several times, disrupting the travel plans of hundreds of thousands. The flight attendants also emphasized their demands with a warning strike. But now the signs are clearly pointing to relaxation: Verdi had reached an agreement with the airline for ground services even before Easter and after arbitration. Now the flight attendants have also won a new collective agreement.
In principle, this is good news for Lufthansa. The conflict is off the table and with it strikes. The term of the collective agreement is also exceptionally long at three years. But the agreement is also expensive. The cabin employees receive 16.5 percent more money over the term. In addition, the UFO union has achieved an inflation compensation bonus of 3,000 euros net per employee. The allowances for the cabin managers (pursers) increase to up to 800 euros. CEO Carsten Spohr has recently repeatedly emphasized that significantly higher salaries are unavoidable given the temporarily high inflation. The flight attendants, who weren’t exactly well paid, were able to feel addressed.
“Our goal was always to find a solution at the negotiating table together with the union. We have now succeeded in doing that,” said Human Resources Director Michael Niggemann. “At the same time, the agreed salary developments in all professional groups are a challenge that we have to deal with.” The ground employees receive an average of around 12.5 percent more money, while Lufthansa had to increase the money by more than 18 percent for the pilots.
The pilots’ and flight attendants’ collective wage agreements now run until the end of 2026. The pilots’ collective wage agreement, which regulates working conditions, is even set to run until the end of 2027. The agreement reached by ground employees is only valid until the end of 2025. Negotiations for pilots and flight attendants at the regional subsidiary CityLine as well as the pilots at Discover are still ongoing. An attempt at mediation has been underway since the end of last week for the employees of the security companies that carry out the checks at the airports.