Status of a labour dispute at Lufthansa subsidiary Discover Airlines remains unclear after the carrier agreed to raise wages, but circumvented the striking trade union to do so.
The airline, which caters to German holidaymakers, agreed to a new pay scale that exactly matches demands from the pilots' union Vereinigung Cockpit (VC).
But the airline struck the new wage deal with the company's works council instead of with the union, outraging union leaders and leaving open the possibility of a fourth strike in the dispute.
The trade union's bargaining committee said it was "shocked" by Discover's approach in a note to pilots.
The trade union told members that the deal with the works council doesn't hold the same legal strength, or offer the same security, as a collective bargaining deal - and warned that future talks around wage increases could devolve into "collective begging."
Pilots at Discover Airlines, which was launched by Lufthansa in 2021, have still not concluded an initial collective bargaining deal.
An airline spokeswoman said it is absolutely clear that Thursday's deal does not replace a proper collective bargaining agreement: "It remains our goal to conclude a collective agreement that prioritizes the interests of our employees and our airline. To this end, we submitted our improved offer yesterday, as agreed with VC last week."
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