Fokker does not want to comment on a report in the Eindhovens Dagblad about the suspension of 37 employees at the branch in Helmond. According to the newspaper, they must be vetted by the Military Intelligence and Security Service. It would concern people with a non-Dutch nationality who carry out work for the landing gear of the NH90 naval helicopter.
A spokeswoman for Fokker and parent company GKN Aerospace only says that there are ‘clear guidelines for our employees and that no statements are made about individual cases’. She declined to confirm whether the message was in the Eindhovens Dagblad is correct.
‘Inactive since the end of last week’
The newspaper reports that the employees in question have been working for a long time at Fokker Landing Gear, which produces landing gear and other parts for, among others, the F35 fighter jets and NH90 and Apache helicopters. They have been inactive since the end of last week, according to the newspaper.
The Eindhovens Dagblad also writes that it is customary for employees who work on military projects to be screened. Such a security investigation into possible vulnerabilities of employees is in principle carried out before they are allowed to work.
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