KLM is facing a strike after refusing to raise employee salaries
The FNV union announced that KLM employees will start a 24-hour strike from 2 AM on Saturday until 2 AM on Sunday, in protest against the company's refusal to raise their wages while granting generous bonuses to pilots.
FNV described the employees as "angry" due to what they see as blatant discrimination from the company, as their demands are ignored despite the vital role they play, from handling luggage and towing planes to assisting travelers in departure lounges. The unions pointed out that flights cannot take off without this category of workers.
KLM has expressed its intention to resort to legal action to try to prevent the strike, considering it harmful to the company, "especially given the difficult financial situation it is going through," according to a spokesperson for the company to Dutch media. On Monday evening, the company sent a message to the FNV and CNV unions urging them not to carry out the strike, considering that leaving the negotiating table is "pointless," referring to prolonged collective negotiations that did not result in an agreement.
However, the FNV negotiator, John van Doreland, confirmed that a return to negotiations will only happen if KLM agrees to compensate employees for inflation within their salaries. He said: "We want to maintain purchasing power. It is incomprehensible that pilots are generously rewarded while employees are marginalized." FNV also demands improved compensation for workers performing physically demanding jobs.
Earlier, the CNV union criticized the disparity in treatment between employees and pilots, describing the freeze on employee salaries as "unacceptable," especially after pilots received 29 million euros in bonuses in January, while KLM managers increased their variable compensation by more than 32% last year. The union added: "We demand the immediate removal of this injustice."