German trade union Verdi has agreed a pay deal with Lufthansa for 33,000 cabin crew and ground staff across the airline group, it said on Wednesday, averting another round of strikes that the union had threatened. Employees of Lufthansa Systems, Lufthansa Cargo and Lufthansa Technik will see their pay rise by 4.7 percent, while Lufthansa AG staff will get a rise of 3 percent, in a deal which runs for 26 months and excludes forced lay-offs, Verdi said in a statement.
Lufthansa confirmed that a deal had been reached and said it would contribute to the company's restructuring efforts. Verdi and Lufthansa had been in talks since the end of February and workers on April 22 virtually grounded the airline with the second strike in a month.