Trade union announces suspension of all strikes at Schiphol until after summer holidays

The trade union FNV has announced that all strikes by KLM ground staff at Schiphol are being suspended until after the summer vacation period. Two attempts by the unions at the airport have been blocked by the court. The unions are pushing for higher salaries and a better scheme for early retirement.

A 24-hour strike planned for June 28 was blocked by the court in Haarlem, before the court in Amsterdam also blocked plans by the FNV and CNV to strike for eight hours on July 9.

“The court is of the opinion that striking during the summer holidays is not allowed. We disagree, but for now we will abide by the ruling,” said FNV union representative John van Dorland in a statement.

According to the union, actions will likely follow after the holidays. FNV does not consider KLM’s latest wage offer sufficient to resume negotiations for the collective labor agreement. And they also want a better early retirement scheme for employees with physically taxing jobs.

Schiphol had warned that chaotic situations would occur if the strikes were to take place. One of Schiphol’s main concerns was that no planes would have been able to land at the airport due to a lack of parking capacity. They also feared that many passengers would have been left stranded in the airport, possibly having to sleep on chairs or camp beds as a result of flight cancellations.

Although the FNV is accepting the court’s decision, frustration is growing among the 13,000 workers at the union. “Each pilot will receive €8,000 compensation this summer, while ground staff are expected to be just as flexible but receive nothing. That’s simply unacceptable,” said union official Walter van der Vlies, who works as a ground employee for KLM.