Binnenhof furious about bonus Air France KLM CEO Ben Smith | Inland

“We are against that bonus,” responds outgoing Minister Wopke Hoekstra (Finance). “We do not find bonuses and dividend payments compatible with aid.”

The Netherlands is a shareholder of Air France KLM, but an earlier attempt to prevent lavish rewards at the top in Paris has failed. In his own country, Hoekstra has a firm agreement with KLM: no bonuses, no dividend. According to the CDA minister, the parent group’s action has no consequences for any future aid to KLM.

The House of Representatives demands clarification. VVD MP Eelco Heinen wonders whether it is not against European support rules. The liberal does not have a good word for it: “Mayday calling mayday and tossing bonus is totally inappropriate in these difficult economic times for the company and staff.”

The SP would prefer to separate the blue swan from the French and nationalize KLM. SP leader Lilian Marijnissen is furious: “Thousands of layoffs, insecurity in the workplace, but the bonuses at the top will of course continue as usual.”

Hoekstra shareholder?

The PvdA wonders what the influence of Hoekstra is as a shareholder. “There is nothing to notice,” says Member of Parliament Henk Nijboer. “Handing out bonuses at the top while employees are being fired is amoral and indefensible.”

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