Lufthansa and UFO agree on comprehensive arbitration

Following constructive discussions in recent days, Lufthansa and the Independent Flight Attendant Organization (UFO today reached an agreement on a settlement of outstanding issues in the Lufthansa cabin. For the duration of the arbitration, UFO has an absolute obligation to maintain industrial peace. Strikes are accordingly excluded for the time being.  By entering the arbitration, Lufthansa has withdrawn the status proceedings and is prepared to return to the negotiating table with UFO as a trade union. With immediate effect, the German Air Transport Employers' Association (AGVL) is again negotiating with UFO for all Lufthansa Group flight operations with open tariff topics.

In the coming weeks and months, Lufthansa and UFO will work together in the interests of employees and passengers to find solutions to the open collective bargaining issues and for urgent questions concerning the Lufthansa cabin through neutral mediators. Among others, UFO's last mentioned demands, such as higher expenses and purser allowances, will be subject of the arbitration proceedings. Various regulations could already been agreed on in advance. It was UFO has additionally adopted a tariff arrangement negotiated in advance between Lufthansa and Verdi. The arbitration procedure is now being prepared and each party will appoint its own mediator. In addition, Lufthansa and UFO have decided to conduct a parallel moderation procedure in which further topics are discussed. It was agreed that the Verdi trade union can participate in the arbitration and moderation process.

 "The confidential talks with UFO have shown that we can find a solution together," says Bettina Volkens, Executive Board Member for Human Resources and Legal Affairs at Deutsche Lufthansa AG. "Arbitration is the right way to address the pressing concerns of our employees in the cabin with all parties involved and to restore trust. It is good news for our customers that now there will be no more strikes at Lufthansa".

Sylvia De la Cruz, CEO of UFO, said: "Of course, we don't have only collective bargaining problems, there are also other issues that need to be clarified urgently. There will be a parallel, moderated negotiation process in which both sides will be able to agree on further problematic issues. This is particularly important to us because our colleagues also have issues with topics that an arbitration process can not solve alone, such as the monitoring system, the employee fund that has not yet been set up and many other issues".

Further information will be announced in a joint press statement on Thursday, 14 November at 2 p.m. in the Lufthansa Aviation Center. The invitation will be issued separately. Please understand that until then we will be speaking with each other in confidence and will not comment on further details until Thursday.