easyJet agrees deal on job terms for ex-Air Berlin crew

LONDON (Reuters) - EasyJet (EZJ.L) has agreed a deal with a German trade union over job terms for former crew of Air Berlin after the British budget carrier agreed to buy part of the failed airline's operations.

EasyJet has said it is looking to recruit around 1,000 Air Berlin pilots and cabin crew after taking on some of its operations at Tegel airport in the German capital, covering leases for up to 25 A320 aircraft.

The airline said the agreement with Verdi would make terms for ex-Air Berlin staff very attractive, and the trade union also welcomed the deal.

"Under these circumstances we are glad that easyJet was willing to negotiate and agree fair terms and conditions into our existing collective agreements for employment of former Air Berlin crew," Holger Roessler, an officer with the Verdi union, said in a statement.

"These include preferred and accelerated recruitment and comparable income conditions for crew who wish to join easyJet."

As part of the agreement, ex-Air Berlin staff will join easyJet gradually over a period of several months because they cannot all be trained at the same time, Roessler said, confirming a report by German magazine Spiegel.

They will be paid according to their rank during the waiting period, he said, adding that a captain who starts only in September 2018 will receive 40,000 euros to bridge the gap.

EasyJet said that the new recruits would be hired on local contracts, and would be subject to previously negotiated collective labour arrangements.

"We very much look forward to welcoming ex Air Berlin crew to easyJet, their experience is sure to add significant value to our airline," said Stuart MacDonald, head of industrial relations at easyJet Group.

(Reporting by Alistair Smout; Additional reporting by Maria Sheahan; Editing by Keith Weir and David Evans)