KLM wants to freeze salaries of 15k ground workers says union rep

Some 15,000 ground workers would see their salaries frozen, and would lose one of their paid days off per year, according to a new proposal submitted by the the management of Dutch airline KLM to union representatives. The company would also like to replace some 3,000 baggage handlers and ground crews with temporary employees, the union CNV Vakmensen told newspaper De Telegraaf. It’s all part of a KLM plan to bring costs down annually by 1.5 percent. One key feature of the proposal is an end to salary bumps given to workers whose shifts are outside business hours, something the airline sees as being outdated. A KLM spokesman told the newspaper that the 2015 annual report shows the airline is on its way to a strong recovery, and defended the proposal to the union. “This is in line with our five-year reorganization plan. We need to be more streamlined, cheaper and faster, and for now carry on with this chosen path.” “This is shocking,” said CNV union leader Dolf Polders. “Employees will lose their jobs if we agree. KLM wants to invest the savings in a new fleet, but therefore there is less work. That is the great irony.” Polders did not specifically state why new airplanes translates into less available work.