Lufthansa Airlines raises salary for pilots

Germany's flagship carrier Lufthansa Airlines Group has agreed to raise the salary of its pilots at Lufthansa and Lufthansa Cargo, following pressure from frequent strikes by the pilots over a 5.5 per cent pay rise this year.

"Lufthansa and the German pilots' union Vereinigung Cockpit union have agreed on a pay increase for pilots at Lufthansa and Lufthansa Cargo. The cockpit crews will receive an increase in their basic monthly pay of €490 each in two stages — with retroactive effect from 1 August 2022, and as of 1 April 2023," a press release from the Lufthansa Group stated.

The agreement also includes a comprehensive peace obligation until June 30, 2023, excluding strikes during this period. This gives customers and employees planning security, the company added.

Chief Human Resources Officer and Labor Director of the Deutsche Lufthansa Airlines Group, Michael Niggemann said that the agreement would benefit entry-level salaries in particular. An entry-level co-pilot would receive around 20 per cent additional basic pay, while a captain in the final grade would receive 5.5 per cent

A Lufthansa pilots' strike on September 2 had led to almost 800 flights being cancelled, affecting nearly 130,000 passengers. A Delhi Airport had witnessed protests from about 700 passengers — almost all Canada-bound students — who were flying to Frankfurt and Munich that night. While they protested inside the terminal, their relatives and friends blocked the entrance at T3.

Stranded passengers and their relatives registered strong protests on Friday night at the Delhi airport. The police had to intervene that night to restore traffic flow at the terminal. Another strike call was given for September 7 and 8, that was later withdrawn.

The pilots' union Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) had confirmed that Lufthansa pilots would stage an all-day strike both for flights by the core passenger business, as well as its cargo subsidiary, demanding a 5.5 per cent pay rise this year for its more than 5,000 pilots, as well as automatic inflation adjustments for 2023.

During the coronavirus crisis, Lufthansa terminated the agreement, and started to set lower pay scale conditions, bypassing the collective deal.

Lufthansa Group said that both collective bargaining partners will continue their constructive exchange on various topics during this time. Lufthansa and Vereinigung Cockpit have agreed to maintain confidentiality regarding additional topics and the talks.

The agreement is still subject to detailed formulation and approval by the responsible bodies, Lufthansa Group said.

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