Lufthansa, pilots' union agree further talks
BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's Lufthansa and pilots' union Vereinigung Cockpit have agreed to further talks soon on the issue of early retirement benefits, the carrier said on Thursday.
The two sides have also agreed to bring in an external mediator if necessary, Lufthansa said in a statement.
The row between management and pilots over early retirement benefits has been going on for two years and has led to 13 strikes over the last 18 months. A previous attempt at mediation failed this summer.
The dispute escalated as Lufthansa started to expand low-cost services, though a court ruled last week that the pilots could not go on strike over the low-cost plans because that was a company decision and not a pay issue.
(Reporting by Victoria Bryan; Editing by Maria Sheahan)
