ZF Friedrichshafen Staff to Vote on Pay Overhaul That Retires 2007-Era Bonus
Published on 09/17/2026 at 01:40 | Editorial boerse-global.de
Roughly 8,000 employees at ZF Friedrichshafen are being asked to decide the fate of a hard-won pay compromise, with ballots open until 23 October. The vote will determine whether a package that trades an old top-up payment for a new performance-based system takes effect as planned.
Management, the works council and the IG Metall union laid out the deal during a staff meeting at the Friedrichshafen exhibition hall, closing months of negotiations over cuts to above-tariff benefits at the company's headquarters.
Zeppelin bonus phased out, Leistung-Plus takes its place
At the heart of the agreement is the end of the so-called Zeppelin allowance, an above-tariff payment introduced in 2007 that the works council says has been worth between 7 and 13 percent of monthly income. About 8,000 staff currently receive it. Under the compromise, the allowance will be terminated on 1 July 2027.
Its designated successor is a system called "Leistung-Plus." Payouts under the new model would reflect both individual performance reviews and the company's overall business results. For every percentage point of tariff performance pay disbursed, employees would receive 12 euros.
That figure could rise by 10 percent (1.20 euros) or 25 percent (3 euros), depending on whether economic targets are met. Lea Corzilius, ZF's board member for human resources, said the new pay structure gives the workforce a direct stake in the company's commercial success.
Salary increase pushed back four months
The compromise also delays a tariff wage increase that had been scheduled for 1 September 2026. The 3.1 percent raise will now take effect on 1 January 2027 instead — one element of a broader effort to reshape the cost base at the headquarters site.
Both sides presented the agreement as a necessary move to secure the location's future. Accounts of mood inside the workforce describe a mix of relief at having reached a settlement and resignation over the lost income, with expectations that further cuts lie ahead.
Ballot runs until 23 October
Whether the proposal is implemented now rests with tariff-covered employees. Around 8,000 of them are eligible to vote, and the ballot stays open through 23 October.
Only once that process concludes in early October — the timeline given by the negotiating parties — will it be clear whether the new pay rules can enter into force as planned. After the intensive talks of recent months, they said, the solution on the table represents the best possible balance between competitiveness and employee interests.
