Pilot union VNV and FNV have not yet reached an agreement with KLM about a longer duration of the cuts, the unions announced on Saturday. A new agreement between the airline and the employees’ organizations is an important condition for the billions in support from the cabinet.
Pilot union VNV and FNV have not yet reached an agreement with KLM about a longer duration of the cuts, the unions announced on Saturday. A new agreement between the airline and the employees’ organizations is an important condition for the billions in support from the cabinet.
Because no agreement has been reached by the parties, the billion-dollar support of the Dutch government seems to be in jeopardy for the time being.
For Minister Wopke Hoekstra (Finance), a deal on a so-called commitment clause between KLM and the employee clubs was a requirement for the billions of support from the cabinet. This week, however, Hoekstra announced that the previously set conditions were not sufficient. For example, the minister demands that the term of the wage offerings can be extended.
By means of the commitment clause, the unions had to commit themselves to the wage cuts that have been agreed. However, the pilots union and FNV would rather commit to the agreement reached on October 1 with the KLM management.
KLM was not yet able to respond to the matter. The airline is said to be busy consultations about the situation that has arisen.
State aid is essential for KLM
At the beginning of October, the largest airline company in the Netherlands reached an agreement with various unions about wage moderation until 2022. These cutbacks will, however, take less time than the state aid offered by the government of approximately five years. The cabinet would therefore like to align these maturities.
The state aid is essential for the airline company, which has been hit very hard by the travel restrictions due to the corona virus. The aid consists of a loan of EUR 1 billion and a guarantee of EUR 2.4 billion.
