Since March this year, Lufthansa and Verdi have been negotiating a new wage agreement for the airline's ground staff.
A stalemate has just been reached, following the third round of negotiations between the two sides. Verdi has sought wage increases of 5.5% over a 12 month period and said that a deal would only be made quickly if the airline withdrew its demand for pension reforms. The union is hopeful that the airline will propose another offer in due course; however Lufthansa reportedly continues to insist on including pensions in the negotiations. The issue of pensions can only be resolved by including all employee groups throughout the company in the scheme, according to Verdi. If Lufthansa guarantees the current level of benefits, Verdi has said that it is willing to discuss different models and ideas for changes to the pension plans.
