Lufthansa and the pilots’ union Vereinigung Cockpit have agreed to approach a mediator for the collective wage agreement together.

Yesterday, the negotiating parties agreed to finalize the arbitration by the end of January and to maintain industrial peace regarding the collective wage agreement until then.

The parties have not made any comment regarding the identity of the mediator, in order to ensure an uninterrupted and efficient arbitration process.

While there had been negotiations regarding the collective bargaining agreement over the last few months, they were not successful in bringing the respective positions closer together to the point of a negotiated agreement.

For this reason, Lufthansa and VC have agreed to request arbitration in order to achieve a lasting solution.

“We have had some intense talks over the past months and have now succeeded in agreeing on arbitration for the collective wage agreement.

“The negotiating table is the only place where we can find solutions that offer prospects for employees and for the company,” said Bettina Volkens, head of human resources and legal affairs at Deutsche Lufthansa.

“I am confident that we will be able to develop a fair solution with the assistance of a mediator.

“We want to arrive at a long-term industrial peace in cooperation with VC – for our customers, our employees and our shareholders.”