After more than 70 days of negotiations, the German air traffic control (DFS) and the air traffic control union (GdF) have reached a far-reaching collective agreement, which came about without strikes or industrial action. A central point of the agreement is the conversion of the company pension scheme for newly hired air traffic controllers and other employees to a capital market-financed system. This is intended to relieve DFS of interest rate risks and reduce fluctuations in balance sheet provisions.
In addition, the DFS is planning savings by introducing a new entry level for new air traffic controllers, which should lead to a reduction in costs given the numerous retirements of the baby boomers. A new maximum level was introduced at the upper end of the salary scale in order to ensure the attractiveness of the profession in the long term. The part-time arrangements will also be tailored more closely to operational needs.
A total of 18 collective agreements were changed, which also include the salary increases already agreed in 2022. These provide for a pay increase of around 20 percent over a period of more than four years until March 2027. DFS boss Arndt Schoenemann described the wage increases as "reasonable and responsible".
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