FNV concerned about the use of trainees at peak times at Schiphol

Trade union FNV is very concerned about the use of trainees during peak times at Schiphol.

Inexperienced handlers are often used during check-in, lugging luggage and connecting and disconnecting the passenger bridges to the aircraft, says trade union leader Jaap de Bie at NH News.

“It’s not too bad at the moment. There is time for guidance, but later, during the May holidays and in the summer, they will be on their own. Then it’s too busy for guidance, insofar as it can be found at all. It’s about hundreds of people,” said De Bie.

“This can have consequences for the safety of holidaymakers and the health of employees,” says the union leader. This month, the FNV will open a hotline where trainees can report abuses anonymously.

“It mainly plays a role in passenger handling, but many trainees also walk around on the platform without supervision,” a baggage officer told the regional broadcaster. He refers to an incident with a TUI aircraft earlier this week. On takeoff, the tail touched the ground. The baggage handler attributes this to the loading by an inexperienced student. The aircraft returned safely to Schiphol. “But such a mistake can have fatal consequences,” he says.

According to the union, the (excessive) responsibility of trainees has everything to do with the staff shortage among handlers at the airport. After the chaos of last year, more money became available for the security guards; they received higher wages and better schedules. Many new security guards have also been hired. But little has changed for handlers, says FNV director De Bie.

The consequences of the staff shortage are major, a ground stewardess told NH Nieuws. Gaps in the roster are filled with interns. “Young girls aged 18, 19 who sometimes shiver with fear because they don’t know what to do with swearing passengers at the check-in counters,” she says. “The agreement is that trainees are supervised by a so-called buddy for about four weeks, but that is often not the case.”

According to the ground stewardess, trainees are scheduled to work night shifts for days in a row, they have to independently check in hundreds of passengers and control and connect aircraft bridges. The latter is precision work for which, according to the FNV, a certificate is required. The ground stewardess hardly sees any trainees returning for a job after an internship: “It’s sad, they run away fast.”

In a written response, the Schiphol Group says nothing about incidents and/or the deployment of trainees. The airport does point out that the number of flights during the upcoming May holiday will be deliberately reduced.

“We looked at what the total system at Schiphol can handle during the May holidays and implemented 5 percent lighting during the morning peak. This means that 5 percent fewer seats can be booked and that reduces the workload,” says the Schiphol Group.