FRANKFURT (dpa-AFX) - Following the agreement reached in the wage dispute, the salaries of Lufthansa ground staff are to rise by up to 18 percent. The employees are to receive a salary increase in two stages over a period of 24 months, as the Verdi union and the company announced in Frankfurt on Thursday.

In addition, an inflation adjustment bonus of 3,000 euros and further bonuses were agreed. The agreement was reached with the help of three days of arbitration led by Thuringia's Minister President Bodo Ramelow and the former head of the Federal Employment Agency, Frank-Jürgen Weise.

According to Lufthansa, the average increase in salaries will be 12.5 percent by the end of next year. Lower and middle wage groups will receive an above-average increase via basic amounts. This will also help to ensure that Lufthansa remains an attractive employer, explained Michael Niggemann, Chief Human Resources Officer.

Verdi had originally demanded a 12.5 percent increase over a period of one year, while the company had offered 10 percent within 28 months before the arbitration. Verdi had organized five rounds of warning strikes in the wage dispute and prepared for indefinite strikes with a ballot. The result must now be confirmed in a member survey, which should be completed by mid-April./ceb/DP/ngu