ZF Workers in Friedrichshafen Back Pay Overhaul as 78.3% Endorse Deal to Replace Zeppelin Bonus
Published on 10/24/2026 at 01:30 | Editorial boerse-global.de
Staff at ZF's Friedrichshafen operations have given a decisive green light to a reworked pay package, drawing a line under a months-long dispute over the future of the site's above-tariff allowances at the technology group.
In a ballot covering the N and Z plants, 4248 employees backed the compromise struck between management and the works council — 78.3% of those who voted. The 1173 votes against accounted for 21.7%. Turnout reached 66%, with just under 9000 tariff-covered employees eligible to cast a ballot, according to media reports on 23 October 2026.
A ZF spokesperson welcomed the outcome once the figures were released. The talks had become necessary after the company terminated the existing allowance arrangement with effect from 1 July 2027.
What replaces the Zeppelin allowance
At the heart of the approved deal is the retirement of a long-standing plant arrangement. The so-called Zeppelin allowance, introduced in 2007 and worth between 7% and 13% of monthly pay, will be phased out. A new scheme called Leistung-Plus — a profit- and performance-linked extra payment — takes its place.
Under the new structure, pay splits into fixed and variable elements: a flat 5% uplift on monthly base salary, topped up by an above-tariff bonus. Combined, the allowance comes to roughly 10% of gross monthly earnings.
The agreement also gives the company some financial breathing room. A scheduled 3.1% tariff increase is pushed back from 1 September 2026 to 1 January 2027.
Employee representatives call it the achievable outcome
Union and works council figures framed the result against the alternative of the original termination. Works council members Dietrich and Panic said in Friedrichshafen that the agreement had prevented deep cuts for the workforce. Council head Dietrich stressed that significant improvements had been won compared with the company's initial demands.
From the union side, IG Metall representative Sommer offered a sober assessment: further concessions from management had simply not been attainable in the negotiations. With the workforce's vote in hand, the path is now clear for the pay models to be switched over.
