Chaos at KLM: 119 flights canceled and 70 flights delayed at Schiphol Airport
Ground staff employees of KLM are striking today at Schiphol Airport, demanding better working conditions and a fair collective agreement. As a result, 119 flights have been canceled and 70 other flights have been delayed. Travelers have been warned to check the status of their flights before heading to the airport.
The strike, which will last from 6:00 AM to noon, is organized by the FNV and CNV unions. The unions have been negotiating with KLM for months, demanding an increase in ground crew salaries in line with at least the inflation rate. The ground crew assists passengers, loads and unloads luggage, and directs aircraft to the correct parking spots.
FNV and CNV rejected the offer made by KLM, which was accepted by three other unions. The unions stated that the offer failed to meet their main demand of protecting workers' purchasing power and emphasized the disparity in KLM's treatment of different employee groups. The unions pointed out that KLM raised the salaries of pilots and management without resistance.
This is the third strike by KLM's ground crew employees, with each strike lasting two hours longer than the previous one. In the previous two strikes, KLM canceled 100 flights each time, affecting around 27,000 passengers.
Union representatives, including John van Doorland from FNV, expressed their regret for the inconvenience these strikes cause to travelers, but they emphasized that the strike was a last resort. He said: "Pilots receive additional benefits while the ground crew is left behind. We will not be marginalized."
Suleiman Amala, a negotiator from CNV, said that ground crew employees are "very angry" and feel they are being treated unfairly by KLM management. He added: "The will to strike is growing stronger day by day."
If no agreement is reached, the unions plan to organize another strike next Wednesday, which will last for eight hours.