Employees of Fokker Landing Gear in Helmond are deeply disappointed and angry about the planned closure of the factory. On Wednesday they met for a meeting with the unions. “I’ve worked hard all those years. And then you are suddenly put aside”, responds the almost 61-year-old Hans from Eindhoven. He has been working for Fokker for 27 years.
Fokker wants to close the factories in Hoogerheide and Helmond. The production of landing gear and other flying parts will be moved to Papendrecht. Almost all staff can be transferred to the new location. But that is more than a hundred kilometers from Helmond, a journey of almost one and a half hours, without counting traffic jams.
Hans can hardly believe it. Fokker has become an extension of his family: his brother-in-law, nephew and son also work in the Helmond factory. “We were sent home with a piece of shit on Friday.”
Together with about ten other colleagues, the family works in the electroplating department. There they apply a layer over the parts so that they do not rust. Their department is probably one of the last to remain active in Helmond.
Hans doesn’t want to think about having to go up and down to Papendrecht every day. “I have two artificial knees and I had a heart attack. Do I have to drive home alone in the middle of the night?”
His age also plays a part. “When the factory closes here, I’ll be 62. Then I’ll end up on unemployment benefits and after a few years I’ll have to look for another job. Who still wants me at 65?” Due to a previous bankruptcy of Fokker, he is only entitled to a relatively small severance payment, which he believes will not allow him to last until his retirement.
While Hans still remains relatively calm, his colleague Karlijn (50) is really disappointed. “We are being thrown into the corner like old socks,” says the Helmondse during the meeting.
She has been working in a team of fifteen people in the quality department at Fokker for seven years now. “I could cry about it one more time. I always thought I’d found my golden basket, but we’re just being dismissed. It feels like a stab in the back.”
She is not at all happy with the management of the company. “I feel like I work with a piece of Dutch history. I thought Fokker was always so good for his staff,” she sounds disappointed. “I’ve always had a heart for the business, just like all my colleagues. But now nobody seems to feel like it anymore.”
Many employees no longer believe in a future with Fokker in Helmond. They hope for a decent severance payment, because nobody seems to be interested in the trip to Papendrecht. “If it’s up to us, the lock will be closed for a few days,” says Hans about the willingness to strike. Karlijn is already busy looking for another job: “I’ve already got some fishing rods out. I’m out of a nice position.”
About 350 people work at the Fokker factory in Helmond, 100 of whom are on a temporary basis. The move is probably planned for the end of this year. A year later, the Helmond branch would close completely.