Outsourcing work may have gone too far in the Netherlands.
No one can deny that something is really wrong at Schiphol. Schiphol boss Dick Benschop had already been warned in October last year that there are far too few employees at Schiphol. Also this year Benschop was warned several times and he did nothing about that either. As a result, it has turned into chaos.
A lot of travelers have fallen victim to this. A lot of employees who often earn the least and have the most insecure contracts are also the victims. Employees at Schiphol have now sent Benschop a fire letter, containing hard requirements for improving working conditions.
Benschop was in Davos at the World Economic Forum, the summit for government leaders and top executives, which will be held this week. It is unclear what exactly he was doing with the 'top executives', because in the meantime his Schiphol was left behind in complete chaos. He received a lot of criticism because he was in Davos while there were so many problems at Schiphol. "I was involved from there and came back earlier," said Benschop.
fixed, safe, fourteen
In the meantime, FNV has not stood still either. "Sure, safe, fourteen," shouted the activists. They want permanent contracts, safe work and a minimum wage of fourteen euros. Holidaymakers at Schiphol will not only have to count on canceled flights in the coming summer, but also on work stoppages. Trade union FNV threatens with actions whereby people stop working if wages and contract conditions do not improve significantly at the airport. The union demands that the wages for handlers, security guards, cleaners and drivers of the buses at the airport to 14 € to go.
“It is clear that we have an obligation to ensure that everything runs smoothly. We have failed to achieve that on many occasions.”
Schiphol has a unique position in Europe. There is fierce competition everywhere in aviation, but Schiphol goes even further than other airports. The Schiphol Group does everything possible to reduce costs by allowing companies to compete with each other. Schiphol therefore has the lowest airport rates of the major European airports. There is no place where so many security and handling companies have to compete with each other.
get on
Yet Dick Benschop of Schiphol does not think he will resign because of the chaos at the airport in recent times due to enormous staff shortages. On the contrary, he suddenly feels motivated to solve the problems. For example, Schiphol wants to recruit more security personnel, make the employment conditions more attractive for employees and improve the flow of travelers in the terminal. According to Benschop, agreements are also being made with airlines about reducing flights and rescheduling flights.
Earlier at the table at Beau, he acknowledged that "the focus has been too long on costs and too little on quality". For travelers flying via Schiphol in the coming weeks, the advice is: keep a close eye on the information from the airlines. He emphasizes that flights may be canceled during the summer holidays based on the available manpower. How much exactly is not yet clear. The trade unions have been in talks with Schiphol for some time about better working conditions for all staff at the airport. There must be a social agreement on 1 June, otherwise FNV wants to organize a major strike at the airport.
