Collective negotiations at DFS floundered (2 November)


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Langen, 2 November 2005

Collective negotiations at DFS floundered - Arbitrator called in

DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH announced on Tuesday night that the collective negotiations in 2005 had failed and initiated arbitration proceedings. It emerged that the controllers’ association Gewerkschaft der Flugsicherung e.V. (GdF e.V.) rejected the third offer made by DFS calling it “non-negotiable”. This offer was a salary increase of 4.1 per cent for the first year and a further 1.2 per cent along with a performance-related one-time payment for an additional year. Although this is much higher than any offer made by German companies in a long time, the GdF refused to back down from its demand for a 6.8 per cent increase in salaries across the board for one year. DFS described this demand as "unjustifiable for the company and the air transport industry”, particularly considering that DFS air traffic controllers already earn on average €100,000 per year, putting them among the highest earning employees under a collective agreement in Germany.

Last year DFS and the controllers’ association agreed to go to arbitration if necessary. Now that DFS has initiated arbitration proceedings, employees at DFS are obliged to keep the “industrial peace” in the immediate future.

DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH is a State-owned company under private law and has 5,200 employees. DFS ensures the safe and punctual handling of flights. Staff coordinate around 10,000 aircraft movements in German airspace every day, and more than three million movements every year. With this large number of flights, Germany has the highest traffic volume in Europe. DFS operates control centres in Langen, Bremen, Karlsruhe and Munich. In addition, DFS is represented in the Eurocontrol Centre in Maastricht, the Netherlands, and in the control towers of the 16 international German airports. DFS provides training and consultancy services around the world and develops and sells air traffic control, surveillance and navigation systems. The company's portfolio also comprises flight-relevant data, aeronautical publications and aeronautical information services. DFS has the following business units: Control Centre, Tower, Aeronautical Solutions and Aeronautical Information Management.


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