Labor Actions Have Cost The Airline Millions

Lufthansa says it is offering a further concession to the Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) flight crew union in the ongoing round of collective bargaining talks. The union has repeatedly demanded general arbitration. In order to avoid new strikes at the expense of the passengers, Lufthansa offers VC general arbitration of all open collective wage agreements.

Previously, Lufthansa has rejected this demand on the basis that many collective wage agreements have not yet been negotiated and because not all claims of the VC regarding some of the contracts which the union itself had terminated, have been formulated.

"We would have liked to negotiate on open issues with VC before submitting these complex issues to an arbitrator," Dr. Bettina Volkens, Managing Director for Legal Affairs and Human Resources of Deutsche Lufthansa AG, said in a news release. "In order to finally settle this long wage dispute, we are willing to take this step."

Lufthansa has offered to start discussions with VC this week on the selection of an arbitrator.

Buying Business Travel reports that labor actions last year cost Lufthansa about $362 million. Pilots walked off the job 10 times in 2014 to protest the airline's plan to phase out its early retirement plan that allows pilots to retire at age 55 with about 60 percent of their salary, with that amount increasing for each year past 55 that they continue to work until they reach retirement age.

(Image from file)

FMI: www.lufthansa.com