Ground staff at KLM are not allowed to strike for 24 hours at Schiphol on Saturday. That is what the court in Haarlem ruled on Wednesday. According to the judge, the strike is too intrusive because of the safety problems that could arise at Schiphol.
Unions FNV and CNV announced the action at Schiphol to reinforce their demands for maintaining purchasing power. KLM filed summary proceedings because the airline thought the action went too far.
In its judgment, the judge mainly looked at the concerns that Schiphol had expressed. According to the airport’s lawyers, major problems arise if ground staff do not move aircraft. As a result, the site for aircraft becomes clogged and passengers have to wait in aircraft and departure halls.
The judge agreed with Schiphol that the safety risks are unacceptable as a result, also because it would put extra pressure on the Marechaussee at customs. They are already heavily burdened because of the NATO summit in The Hague. Therefore, according to the judge, the fundamental right to strike must be restricted in this case.
The action was scheduled to start on Friday night at 2:00 a.m. and end at the same time on Sunday night. The ground staff is responsible for, among other things, loading and unloading the aircraft. Their absence would cause a lot of delays and cancellations at KLM.
The strike would be a result of the deadlocked collective labor agreement negotiations between the unions and KLM. “Our members are completely ready for it and completely fed up with it,” said John van Dorland, director at FNV Luchtvaart on Tuesday.
“This is not a game. KLM has had enough time. If the management thinks it will all blow over, they are mistaken. It is simple: without ground staff, nothing flies.”
In addition to a wage increase, the unions also want a better scheme for people with physically demanding work, allowing them to stop working earlier.