Germany: end of the Cockpit/Lufthansa conflict

Review of the group’s collective agreement. Cockpit spokesman Jörg Handwerg told Planet Labor that he was satisfied with the compromise reached after the conciliation procedure launched in early April. “This compromise offers employment guarantees and offers new prospects” he said. In concrete terms, the parties agreed to review and upgrade the group’s collective agreement (Konzerntarifvertrag), which dates back to 1992. The main bone of discontent is that the agreement forces the company to exclusively give to Lufthansa pilots flights with over 70 seats. Yet, Cockpit was accusing the company of always avoiding this agreement by buying foreign companies, and offering lower wages to their employees. According to the spokesman, Lufthansa pilots were increasingly in an alternative: accept lower wages or see their flights performed by lower-paid pilots. “We are not against outside competition, but we refuse internal competition between Lufthansa subsidiaries” the spokesman explained. The new collective agreement brings up to 95 seats the size of planes exclusively run by Lufthansa pilots. Besides, a “dynamic clause” was added which provides that, when Lufthansa buys new foreign companies, 20% of local flights may be given to pilots paid with the tariffs of the collective agreements in force in these companies, i.e. lower than those provided for in the group’s collective agreement. “Development prospects for local flights will thus be durably ensured” Lufthansa’s management highlighted in a press release.