New KLM ground staff strikes announced at Schiphol for September 24 and October 1

The trade union FNV has announced new KLM ground staff strikes at Schiphol. There will be strikes on September 24 and October 1, which will last six hours and eight hours, respectively. KLM had to cancel more than a hundred flights last week due to a two-hour work stoppage. This Wednesday, around a hundred flights are again being canceled due to a short strike.

Ground staff’s work includes loading and unloading baggage, moving aircraft, and assisting passengers. FNV and the union CNV are upset because KLM reached a labor agreement with three other unions. The unions argue, among other things, that the 14,000 KLM ground staff are losing purchasing power, a claim the airline disputes.

The strike on September 24 is from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. This will be followed by a strike on October 1 from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. FNV also reported that it will coordinate with CNV to further escalate the actions “as long as management refuses to come forward with concrete proposals.”

FNV official John van Dorland says that KLM is playing groups of employees against each other. “Pilots are getting extra benefits at the expense of ground staff. We won’t be brushed aside,” he said. “We feel very sorry for the passengers, but apparently, management leaves us no choice but to strike.”

According to CNV negotiator Souleiman Amallah, the employees are “really very angry” and feel that KLM management is treating them unfairly. “The willingness to strike is strong and grows by the day,” he said.

A KLM spokesperson has said that the strikes endanger the airline's future. She called the strikes "irresponsible and unjustified." Last week's strikes are reported to have cost KLM 10 million euros, with the strikes this Wednesday set to cost the airline "even more."

KLM said it cannot yet comment on the financial impact of the strikes on September 24 and October 1. “Striking won’t help; it only makes our challenge bigger. More strikes mean higher costs and lower revenue, and in doing so, FNV and CNV are putting KLM’s future at risk,” the airline said.