According to VC President Andreas Pinheiro, the employer’s side demonstrated a lack of genuine willingness to increase the level of occupational pensions to a reliable standard from the outset of discussions He stated that instead of constructive solutions, only models detrimental to employees were presented, with no substantial improvements offered
Previously, pilots received a traditional company pension with guaranteed payouts until 2017 The union claims that, at the employer’s insistence, this system was replaced with a capital market-financed model which falls significantly short of the former level of provision Pinheiro emphasized that occupational pensions represent a crucial component of financial security for pilots, at least as important as the statutory pension
Following the failed negotiations, the Group Tariff Commission has called upon the Vereinigung Cockpit Executive Board to initiate a vote among its members GTK spokesperson Arne Karstens described the move as a difficult but necessary step, asserting that while the union accepts a capital market-oriented system, the employer must increase contributions if returns are insufficient to maintain adequate pension levels
