There is a good chance that Schiphol will still limit the number of departing travelers during the May holidays due to a persistent shortage of staff at the handling companies. The airport is short of hundreds of employees at the check-in desks, baggage handlers and airplane towing services, among other things. The optimism of interim director Ruud Sondag, who assumed a fairly carefree May holiday more than two weeks ago, has turned. He ‘raises the red flag’.
Sondag expressed his concerns today in an interview in the Financial Dagblad and those concerns are confirmed by a spokesperson. The interim director wants the handling companies and the airlines to dig into their pockets quickly to raise staff salaries and thus make working at Schiphol more attractive.
Ultimatum
On Sunday, the companies issued an ultimatum. He wants the problems resolved within a few weeks. If not, the number of departing travelers will be reduced again. A maximum number of departing passengers has been in effect at Schiphol since the summer, to prevent overcrowded terminals. This measure was taken after the ongoing chaos and long queues in the departure hall due to a shortage of security guards.
Meanwhile, the staff shortage in security seems to have almost been solved by better working conditions and much higher wages. The difference with the handling staff has therefore become considerably greater, something that the trade union FNV already discussed weeks ago rang the bell.
Employees left
“We recognize the problem and have been warning about this for months,” union director Stijn Jansen told NH News. “Employees are very worried about the May holidays and the summer. Many employees have left or are unsure about this, because the workload is much too high and the wages are too low.”