Schiphol passengers could pay €3 suitcase fee to help attract staff, baggage companies say

A suitcase surcharge of 2 to 3 euros per airline ticket could help the baggage handling companies operating at Schiphol Airport with recruiting much-needed extra staff. The baggage handlers’ wages can only increase faster if the airlines pay the firms more money, said Edwin van der Linden, director of personnel affairs at baggage handling company Viggo. Van der Linden is also the chair of WPBL, an association that represents the interests of baggage handling companies operating in the Netherlands.

The baggage companies still need hundreds of workers to cope with the busy May holiday period and the summer vacation season. If they have not solved that problem within a few weeks, Schiphol CEO Ruud Sondag will likely intervene. He issued an ultimatum on Friday saying that restrictions may again soon be necessary which would limit the number of travelers who are allowed to depart from the airport every day.

Van der Linden cannot say whether the baggage companies will be able to quickly find the necessary extra workers. He said his company, Viggo, is confident about what it can provide this summer, but his industry is facing a tough task overall. This is due to the large salary increase that the security guards at Schiphol Airport have received in order to resolve the staff shortages in that department.

"Our people see that too, of course," said the WPBL chairman. The baggage companies just don't have any money at all to make the employment terms and conditions considerably more attractive in one fell swoop. Van der Linden explained that the baggage companies are tied to long-term contracts with the airlines in terms of income.

Since last year, there has been a sector-wide collective agreement covering approximately 4,000 baggage handlers. It has been agreed that wages at the lower end of the scale will rise by about a quarter in three years' time, said Van der Linde. The raise is being applied in stages, and that means that right now the baggage handler wages are much lower than what security guards receive.

Labor union FNV agreed that the situation is quite complex, where workers from different areas have eyes on what others are earning. FNV leader Stijn Jansen said he believes the most ideal solution is for Schiphol to accommodate the baggage handling companies financially. But that is unrealistic as Schiphol would then be commercially supporting businesses when the airport itself is not even their client.

Van der Linden also wants to change the perception about the incredibly difficult working conditions that baggage handlers face. He noted there are now luggage robots that can take over much of the employees’ heavy physical labor. "That makes a huge difference. Aviation is actually very interesting to work in."