Summary
- Lufthansa Group has reached a take care of its pilot’s union, providing stability for the airline and improving pilots’ remuneration and work-life balance.
- The agreements include pay raises of 18% for pilots throughout the agreement and a one-off payment of as much as €3,000 in 2023.
- Pilots will even receive more plannable leisure time, roster stability, and the assimilation of former Germanwings into Lufthansa will result in further growth.
The Cologne, Germany-based airline group Lufthansa Group has recently reached a take care of its pilot’s union. The deal between the Vereinigung Cockpit union, representing 5,200 personnel of Lufthansa Airlines and Lufthansa Cargo, was struck on August eleventh and can rival other recent deals between airlines and their associate pilot unions.
The news comes after almost a 12 months of negotiations, because the union said conversations a few latest contract began in September 2022. The terms of the contract will increase the wages of greater than 5,000 pilots and set latest work rules. Since 2021, Lufthansa has worked to grow its fleet and expand its route network.
Stability for Lufthansa Group
The pilots, represented by the Vereinigung Cockpit union, voted in favor of the brand new deal, composed of two agreements: the collective terms-of-employment agreement (MTV) and the brand new collective remuneration agreement (VTV). The agreements will last until December thirty first, 2027, and December thirty first, 2026, respectively. Each agreements include a clause that might bar pilots from striking until the respective agreements expire.
Photo: Kevin Hackert/Shutterstock
The brand new agreement provides Lufthansa with additional stability in its operation, because the airline’s operation was plunged into chaos multiple times last 12 months. The primary was when ground handling took strike motion early last summer. More recently, in September 2022, the airline found itself up against a strike by the pilots, resulting in mayhem at the tip of the German summer holidays. After the strike disruption in September, the airline brokered a short-term labor take care of the pilot union.
Michael Niggemann, Lufthansa Group Executive Board Member, and Labor Director, said,
“This collective agreement with Vereinigung Cockpit will provide additional stability in our operations and thus also more reliability for our customers. With it, we’re improving not only our pilots’ remuneration but additionally their ability to keep up an efficient balance between their occupation and their private lives. This latest agreement is just not easy for us to conclude from an economic perspective.”
Based on Vereinigung Cockpit union President Stefan Herth, 94.7% of the union’s members voted on the agreements, with 65.% voting in favor of MTV and VTV. Herth added that he was “pleased” that the union’s members voted in favor of the agreement.
Lufthansa and the Vereinigung Cockpit Union have reached an agreement on pay increases for flight deck staff. Among the many improvements, Lufthansa Airlines and Lufthansa Cargo pilots will see pay raises of 18% throughout the agreement, with a 7% raise on December 1st, 2023, 5% on January 1st, 2025, and 5% on January 1st, 2026.
Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock
Furthermore, Lufthansa will provide union members a one-off payment of three.75% of fixed annual compensation. This will likely be as much as 3,000 euros ($3,297) in 2023. This will likely be coupled with improved variable compensation aligned with business success. Pilots will even receive more plannable leisure time and roster stability, including ten free days a month. Lastly, there will likely be further growth by the assimilation of former Germanwings into Lufthansa.