As part of a temporary compensation arrangement between the airline and the Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) union, Lufthansa pilots will not be able to strike for nine months.
The 24-hour strike by Lufthansa pilots on September 2nd caused complete disruption in the airline’s operations after the VC union claimed the airline had failed to make a “serious” pay offer.
While approximately 130,000 passengers were left stranded and about 800 flights from Lufthansa’s hubs in Frankfurt and Munich were grounded, the conflict escalated until the VC union announced a second, even longer walkout.
The two parties declared they had found a “partial solution” after intense negotiations, and on Monday, Lufthansa and VC acknowledged that this arrangement had been approved.
By April 2023, Lufthansa will increase pilot pay by 980 euros per month, and in exchange, pilots won’t be allowed to strike until June 30 of that year.
The two parties will continue to negotiate on a number of contentious issues without concerns about pilots taking additional industrial action from now until the end of June 2023.
“The collective agreements are still open, but the points to be negotiated can now be discussed in a confidential setting,” commented VC spokesperson Matthias Baier.
Chief negotiator Dr. Marcel Gröls said the agreement was “another step towards a more sustainable partnership” with the airline and the union was “currently on the right track with Lufthansa.”
The deal is not that far from what Lufthansa had initially suggested. The airline initially proposed a pay increase of 900 euros per month, paid in two installments over 18 months.
Junior pilots are expected to gain the most from the agreement, and new hire pilots could earn a 20% increase in their basic monthly pay. Senior pilots will see an average 5.5% pay increase.