KLM workers file lawsuit against Air France-KLM in board member dispute

The KLM workers council (OR) is going to a French court over a dispute about a supervisory board position on the board of Air France-KLM, confirmed OR chairman Dario Fucci after De Telegraaf’s reporting. It concerns a lawsuit against the European employee participation body of Air France-KLM.

Fucci declined to say more about the content of the lawsuit. "We look forward to the verdict with confidence," he said.

The conflict revolves around the practice within the aviation group that the Dutch personnel representation could also appoint a supervisory director via the European or to take a seat on the group's board. In recent years, the OR has always been given a vote at the table in Paris, but this was not the case during the last election. The KLM workers have therefore submitted the matter to the court, where the case is expected to be heard in May.

There has been friction within the Franco-Dutch airline holding company for years about the balance of power between Paris and Amstelveen, where KLM's head office is located. The case was made more complicated by the fact that the relevant supervisory board position did go to a KLM employee, Terence Tilgenkamp.

Tilgenkamp was previously works council chairman of KLM, but was later removed by his own council. An insider says that Tilgenkamp operated on his own and that his candidacy for the seat in Paris was not coordinated with the KLM Works Council.