More than 200 employees of Fokker Elmo in Hoogerheide went on strike on Tuesday morning. They feel that they are treated unequally compared to their colleagues in Helmond. Fokker will close both locations this year and move the work to Papendrecht. But the employees in Helmond receive a higher allowance for moving with them than their colleagues in Hoogerheide. “A distinction is made and we think that’s unfair,” explains an angry Desirée from Hoogerheide.
It is almost a cheerful affair, early in the morning at the Fokker gate in Hoogerheide. A band honks action songs as the strikers register. They are mainly women and almost all live in the vicinity of the company.
Moving to Papendrecht is not an option for Desirée: “I have a young child and the shelter has not been open long enough to be able to go to Papendrecht. But I am standing here for my colleagues. I think they should be treated the same as their colleagues in Helmond.” She is now looking for another job.
At Fokker Elmo in Hoogerheide, cable harnesses are made for aircraft; i.e. all wiring between cockpit and other aircraft components. It employs about 850 people, 350 of whom are temporary workers.
“There will probably be more actions, so I immediately joined the union,” says an employee from Putte. “The regulations are just really bad here. And we still don’t understand why Fokker Elmo has to close here in Hoogerheide. Apparently we are suddenly no longer important to the company.”
The story is circulating among the strikers that the company has put pressure on employees not to go on strike. “People who still stop working can come to the office next week,” says a woman. Most temporary workers also went to work on Tuesday.
Nevertheless, the trade unions FNV and CNV are very satisfied with the number of strikers. FNV director Jan Meeder: “This is a great turnout. And you can see that: people are angry.” He also heard from employees that they were put under pressure not to go on strike. “We don’t live in the Middle Ages here, so this really beats everything. People can strike to stand up for their rights.”
Parent company GKN Fokker does not substantively comment on rumors about employees who are said to have been intimidated. The company is disappointed with the 24-hour strike. “We regret that the unions have declared a strike at Fokker Elmo. We have agreed a good relocation arrangement with the unions that we are implementing for our employees in Hoogerheide and Helmond.”