Lufthansa and cabin crew union reach deal in last of German aviation disputes

Lufthansa and a union representing cabin crew have reached a pay deal, concluding the last of several major disputes that have led to recent strikes at Germany’s biggest airline and in the country’s wider aviation sector.

The UFO union said nearly 19,000 cabin crew would get a pay rise effectively totalling 17.4% in three stages under the three-year deal, plus a one-time payment of 3,000 euros (£2,567) per person to offset inflation. Some bonuses would also be increased.

The union, which originally sought a 15% increase over an 18-month period, would put the deal to a ballot of its members. Its deal with Lufthansa did not include staff at two company subsidiaries, Cityline and Discover, where talks were ongoing.

Last month, the Ver.di union secured a pay raise totalling an average 12.5% over two years for some 25,000 Lufthansa ground staff following an arbitration process. There would be bigger raises for some lower earners.

Earlier this week, a separate dispute involving security staff at most major German airports and their employers was resolved. This deal, also reached after arbitration, foresaw raises totalling 13.1% to 15.1% over 15 months.

All three disputes led to strikes in recent months that caused widespread flight cancellations.

The disruption was compounded by lengthy strikes caused by a simultaneous dispute between Germany’s main railway operator, Deutsche Bahn, and a union representing many of its train drivers.

This was resolved last month with a deal that would see the working week of drivers and some other personnel reduced from 38 hours to 35 by 2029 without having their pay cut. They would also have an option to work longer for more money.