Trade union FNV still agrees to extend wage offering | Financial

KLM is still not out of the fire, because the pilots still have to sign. Pilot union VNV reports on Monday evening that it is still in talks with the KLM management.

The FNV trade union has drawn up a separate ‘side-letter’, in which it is stipulated between KLM and FNV that all employees will hand in wages for two years, plus that after the agreement has expired, free negotiations can take place over the next period of up to five years. “The Wopke clause only covers the term of five years. That decree paralyzed us, ”says FNV campaign leader Joost van Doesburg.

KLM states in a response that it is’ a step closer to the loans from the government. That is crucial for KLM, ”the airline reports.

On Monday, there was a meeting with the supervisory board and the KLM top about the impasse, which is causing major damage to the airline. The general public and politicians have been devastated in recent days by the refusal of the pilots to sign.

Pilot union VNV emphasized on Monday that it did not want to allow KLM to go bankrupt, but also that it was not willing to sign a blank check. “We want to have clarity about what we are signing for,” emphasized VNV chairman Willem Schmid. The pilots do not want to sign a blank check, because they do not know the content of KLM’s agreements with the Ministry of Finance.

FNV and the other unions at KLM were attacked for the weekend with the news that the minister wanted a longer term for all retrenchment than KLM had previously agreed with the unions. Those agreements ran for 2.5 years for ground and cabin crew and 1.5 years for pilots. However, the minister wanted a separate statement that the unions are committed to wage moderation over the life of the loan.

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