Ground-breaking agreement signed for Lufthansa call centre

In April 2002, Germany's Unified Service Sector Union (ver.di) signed the first company agreement for the 200 employees working at the Lufthansa airline's call centre. Ver.di stated that the settlement may provide a pattern to be copied by other call centres.

On 19 April 2002, the Unified Service Sector Union (Vereinte Dienstleistungsgewerkschaft, ver.di) concluded a company agreement with management at the Lufthansa airline's call centre, Lufthansa Global Tele Sales GmbH (Lufthansa GTS), in Berlin. Backdated to 1 April 2002, employees will receive pay increases of between 8.1% and 18.6%. Jan Kahmann, a member of ver.di's management board, stated that this 'pilot' company agreement would send a signal both nationally and internationally.

The 200 or so employees of Lufthansa GTS provide telephone customer services, including reservations, ticketing, frequent flier services, processing telephone complaints and providing assistance on the internet. The new agreement provides for:

• a lump-sum payment of EUR 600 for all employees;

• a monthly increase in basic pay (EUR 100 for all employees and EUR 60 for agents during a 'settling-in' period);

• extra pay for specific skills; and

• the provision of a total of 1,500 massages each year for the workforce.

The situation in call centres, particularly mental stress and physical postures which remain unchanged for hours, has been seen as a cause of health problems for many employees. The agreement does not, therefore, provide only for pay increases but also seeks to achieve more healthy working conditions.

After the termination of the previous agreement covering the call centre staff it took nearly 12 months to reach a company agreement at Lufthansa GTS. What finally brought the company to conclude a deal was reportedly ver.di's power to mobilise the workers' support. According to Doris Fiedler, a negotiator from ver.di's air traffic division, the high level of trade union membership at the call centre, the workers' readiness to participate in industrial action if necessary and a strong works council were decisive in reaching the agreement.