Labour court asks Lufthansa to reinstate 17 terminated during pandemic

An employment court has ordered Deutsche Lufthansa AG to reinstate 17 cabin crew members whose services were terminated during the coronavirus pandemic.

These people were terminated in February 2021 and were members of the Lufthansa Cabin Crew Association.

In an order issued on July 3, the Central State Industrial Court – Employment Tribunal – Employment in the National Capital said 17 cabin crew members should be reinstated with “full back wages and continued service from the date of termination”.

Furthermore, the court ordered the airline group to pay their last salary withdrawn and the arrears within two months from the date of publication of the award without interest.

She added that in the event of failure to do so, the amount due will bear an annual interest of six percent from the date of the disputed dismissal until the final payment of the amount.

When contacted, a Lufthansa spokesperson said late Wednesday, “We have taken note of the court order. However, it is too early to make a legal assessment of this matter.”

Earlier, the association made a request charter to the airline group management regarding their terms of service. After the failure of the conciliation procedures, the case was referred to the arbitral tribunal and is still pending before it.

Lufthansa terminated the services of 103 India-based flight attendants in February 2021 after they sought an “employment guarantee” from management while German Airlines Group offered them two years’ worth of unpaid leave.