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DFS and German ATC Union settle dispute |
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Written by admin
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Sunday, 04 February 2007 |
 The labour dispute at DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH has been settled. On 01/02/2007, DFS and the air navigation services union (GdF) confirmed the terms of an agreement made the week before.
All DFS employees will receive a three-percent salary increase,
backdating to 1 November 2006. In the second year of the 24-month term
of the agreement, the staff will also receive a three-percent pay rise.
In addition, all administrative staff will receive a one-time payment
amounting to € 3,000. Operational staff, i.e. air traffic controllers,
flight data specialists and technicians, will receive one-time payments
ranging between € 1,500 and € 8,450. Furthermore, both bargaining
parties agreed to a new payment structure that puts an end to the past
practice of paying operational allowances and results in higher
salaries at many DFS branches in Germany.
The settlement will
cost DFS an additional €50 million over the next two years. The DFS
CEO, Dieter Kaden, commented that it was necessary to make some
concessions in order to avoid strike action in Germany. This would have
devastated the German economy. "We are pleased that we were able to
steer away from the original demands of the union, which would have led
to costs of around € 230 million," said Mr Kaden.
The
collective bargaining began last November and dragged on into the new
year. A strike by air traffic controllers appeared likely on several
occasions. An agreement was finally reached last Saturday after the
union had withdrawn some of its high-cost demands and following the
intervention of the arbitrator Herta Däubler-Gmelin, the former federal
minister of justice.
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