Pilots union reaches deal with Lufthansa

German flag carrier Deutsche Lufthansa and pilots union Vereinigung Cockpit (VC), said that they have accepted a mediator's proposal and ended their long-lasting labour dispute, Dow Jones reported.

VC said that the agreement protects jobs and assures the union's input in growth plans for the airline. In return, the union agreed to a pay freeze until March 2011.

The dispute at Lufthansa centres on pilots' concerns that the airline could increasingly shift routes to foreign units where pilots earn less, following Lufthansa's rapid expansion over the past two years. To prevent this, the union demanded that Lufthansa give its pilots a bigger say in the decision-making process about where planes are operated from and which pilots fly the aircraft.

Germany's biggest airline and its pilots didn't succeed in reaching a compromise during their last negotiations. The union, however, accepted Lufthansa's proposal to resolve the labour dispute through a mediation process and the parties had already agreed on the modalities.
(source:www.cargonewsasia.com)