After FNV Luchtvaart announced last week that it would end negotiations on a new collective labor agreement for KLM ground staff, CNV Vakmensen also reports that they are putting an end to the negotiations. Both unions no longer find it useful to have discussions with KLM and will consult their members about actions.
Although the collective labor agreement for ground staff expired on March 1, there is no prospect of a new agreement yet. KLM and CNV Vakmensen have so far not come to an agreement, despite the fact that they have already sat around the table fifteen times. The same applies to FNV Aviation and KLM.
Blue heart
“We made this decision with a lot of pain and effort, because many employees have a blue heart,” negotiator Souleiman Ammalah of CNV Vakmensen told NH. “The ground crew feels unappreciated and insulted.”
To accommodate the staff, KLM has already made other commitments regarding early retirement, birth and parental leave and the inclusion of an internship allowance in the collective labor agreement. The company also has the ambition to end five-year employment contracts. “We can’t get out with the wages.”
The airline offers a total of 7.5 percent wage increase for a two-year collective agreement. “We don’t feel like talking is helping anymore,” says Amallah. “KLM is not moving. The same percentage has been on the table for two months. A percentage that is not in line with the market.”
Ultimatum
The unions have alluded to it before actions if KLM did not come up with a better wage offer. CNV will organize meetings early next week. If this shows that more than three-quarters of the members are prepared to take action, CNV will send an ultimatum to KLM and prepare actions. “Of course we hope that it does not have to take action, but the ball is really in KLM’s court. They must come up with a solution.”