Vereinigung Cockpit has chosen Bodo Ramelow, the former Thuringian minister-president and current Bundestag vice president, as conciliator in its labour dispute with Lufthansa. The move covers agreed procedures for the group’s core Lufthansa brand, Lufthansa Cargo, CityLine and Eurowings, as the pilots’ union and the airline seek to channel several open tariff issues into formal mediation rather than open conflict.
VC selected Ramelow for his experience in mediation and his reputation for dialogue, balance and reliability. He will waive a personal fee, with the customary payment to be donated equally to the Erfurt education project Das fliegende Klassenzimmer and the Flugwelt Altenburg Nobitz aviation museum.
The wider framework includes three conciliation procedures and a separate mediation arrangement intended to make the industrial relationship more future-proof. The process is designed to stabilise strained labour relations across the Lufthansa group while negotiations continue on unresolved collective bargaining issues.