In the third round of negotiations, Lufthansa and the Verdi trade union have agreed on a new wage agreement for Lufthansa ground staff.

Noticeable salary increases were agreed, which are disproportionately high for the lower salary brackets. At the AUA parent, there will not be another strike by employees at check-in or in the handling of aircraft. A one-day strike had triggered more than 1.000 flight cancellations at the Lufthansa hubs in Frankfurt and Munich last week. And that in the middle of the high season, which already demands a lot of patience from travelers due to disruptions to airport operations due to staff shortages in Europe.

"We are pleased that we were able to find a good solution for our employees with the social partner," said Michael Niggemann, Chief Human Resources Officer and Labor Director at Deutsche Lufthansa AG. “We agreed on big salary increases. It was important to us to disproportionately consider the lower and middle income groups. In this way, we meet our social responsibility for our employees and ensure our attractiveness as an employer. In view of the still high burdens caused by the pandemic and the uncertain economy, we have extended the increase in remuneration over several stages and created longer-term planning security with an 18-month term.”

In detail, the new collective wage agreement contains the following components:

• Fixed amount of 200 euros per month retroactive to July 1, 2022
• Increase in the basic monthly salary by 2,5 percent, but at least EUR 125 from January 1, 2023
• Increase in monthly base salary by 2,5 percent from July 1, 2023 
• Duration of at least 18 months

Increases in monthly basic payments (gross) within the term: 

• Basic salary/month of 2.000 euros: increase of 19,2 percent
• Basic salary/month of 3.000 euros: increase of 13,6 percent
• Basic salary/month of 6.500 euros: increase of 8,3 percent

The agreement is still subject to the approval of the committees and a Verdi member survey, as the group announced in a press release.