KLM ground crew strike at Schiphol today; 100 flights canceled

Ground crew workers employed by KLM are striking at Schiphol Airport on Wednesday morning, protesting for a better collective bargaining agreement. The Dutch airline canceled approximately 100 flights due to the strike, affecting around 27,000 travelers. Schiphol urged travelers to check the status of their flight before leaving for the airport, warning that the strike could lead to delays and cancellations.

The ground crew workers will strike between 8:00 a.m. and noon. A similar strike last week was two hours shorter. Then, too, KLM scrapped 100 flights, affecting 27,000 travelers. Ground crew workers include people who assist passengers, load and unload baggage, and taxi planes to the runway.

The strike is organized by trade unions FNV and CNV, who rejected an offer by KLM that three other unions accepted. According to the unions, the airline ignored their basic requirements - that ground crew workers’ purchasing power is protected. The unions pointed out the disparity in how KLM treats its employees at different levels, increasing remuneration for pilots and management, but starting negotiations for the ground crew with no wage increase on the table.

FNV also announced two new strikes on September 24 and October 1, each lasting two hours longer than the one before. “Pilots are getting extra benefits at the expense of ground staff. We won’t be brushed aside,” John van Dorland of FNV said. “We feel very sorry for the passengers, but management leaves us no choice but to strike.”

According to CNV negotiator Souleiman Amallah, the ground crew workers 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 called the strikes "irresponsible and unjustified,” adding that last week’s strike already cost the airline €10 million. The strikes endanger the airline's future, she said.