If you, as KLM ground staff, want attention for grievances about working conditions, you can call the beginning of the May holiday the ideal time for a strike at Schiphol. If you then actually perform it, you can be sure that things will go completely wrong at the airport and that the action will in any case not go unnoticed. And that was exactly what happened on Saturday from six in the morning.
Due to the wild, unannounced or unionized strike, dozens of flights were delayed or cancelled. Because the ground staff of KLM decided to stop working, the aircraft could not be loaded and unloaded. Arriving passengers could still get out, but that was it. And all the while, new travelers came to report to the airport.
Row with waiting passengers already starts on the sidewalk
So the airport regularly announced that due to ‘vacation and staff shortage’ there had unfortunately been some delay. People were already aware of this, because the queue of passengers waiting for departure hall 2 started outside and was led through departure hall 3. To prevent crowds and chaos, the airport had decided to temporarily close the entrance to hall 2, said a Schiphol employee, who was not allowed to say anything about the chaos. ‘Because we have spokespersons for that.’
In the meantime, she occasionally let a poignant case pass, for the sake of form and out of empathy. Like a Spanish mother with daughter and her Mickey Mouse trolley, who had already been delayed by train and now would see their flight depart in twenty minutes. It will be very difficult, she was told. But the Spanish was not satisfied with that. “Just tell me which way to run,” she asked, half crying. And then she was allowed to pass under the ribbon.
Most travelers received the realistic message from the Schiphol employee. “If the flight is delayed, get in line and you might make it. Otherwise it makes no sense.’ There was no point in running anyway. She did point some people to an indoor route, so they didn’t have to join outside. “Upstairs behind Victoria’s Secret.”
And hop, there they went, up to the escalator of Hall 3, so that they ended up in the hall halfway through the row. That in turn provoked indignant looks from those waiting behind the glass, outside the hall, who had not been pointed to the secret route.
Strike instigators do not show up at airport
The ground staff, the instigators of the hassle, did not show up at the airport. Otherwise they could have told why they were on strike and explained about the workload, the staff shortage and the mediocre working conditions, such as the gross starting salary of 11.72 per hour, which, according to the recruiting advertisements, makes them ‘top players who want to put their shoulders to the wheel’. contribute to ‘unforgettable flights’.
Still, most travelers were resigned to the enormous waiting time. Like Tarek, last name unknown, who was on his way to New York with his daughters and girlfriend. They had been waiting for an hour and they still had about an hour to spare. ‘It’s no use whining and whining. Besides, do you think they leave with a half full plane?’ It’ll be okay, he thought.
Meanwhile, he and his daughter Zoë and Vonne and girlfriend Anouk were entertained by magician Chris, who was hired by Schiphol because of the expected crowds to entertain the long lines with some tricks. For example, he made a ring disappear from one of his fingers, which subsequently appeared on a bunch of keys. He did some juggling with a highlighter, marked it with a cross on his own hand, which then suddenly appeared on a traveler’s hand. And meanwhile, the magician also had to make sure that the travelers just kept pushing their carts.
Such as the Van Dijk family, father and mother Sebas and Lieke, with their children Lune and Duuk, and their cart with a huge bag with surfboards, which Sebas pushed a little bit forward on his slippers each time. “We’re not worried,” he said with a grin. The final destination was El Salvador, where both their children will participate in the World Surfing Championship. They flew through Detroit and Atlanta. Stress was pointless, says Lieke. “We’ll miss that flight in Detroit anyway. We’ll see. Then we’ll spend the night there first.’
Strike lifted after six o’clock, still big crowds
The wildcat strike by about 150 KLM employees, in protest against the high workload and low wages, started around 6 a.m. on Saturday. Schiphol was forced to cancel dozens of flights and long queues formed at the check-in counters and the counter for international train travel, because people tried to travel by train to France or Germany. After consultation with René de Groot, KLM’s operational director, work was resumed. According to the trade union FNV, which was not involved in the strike, but was in contact with the dissatisfied staff, no promises were made.