KLM to scrap 10 flights over ground staff strike

Dutch national carrier KLM will scrap 10 European flights today due to a two-hour strike by ground staff demanding higher wages, an airline spokeswoman said Sunday. The move, which will see ground staff down tools between 8.00 am and 10.00 am (0600 GMT to 0800 GMT), comes after the airline and Dutch union federation FNV failed to reach an agreement.

“KLM have preventively decided to annul 10 European flights because of the strike,” Manel Vrijenhoek said. “We are still looking at which flights at this stage,” she told AFP. Air France, Delta and other SkyTeam airlines as well as no-frills carrier Transavia are also set to be affected by the strike, KLM spokeswoman Vrijenhoek confirmed.

The FNV said Saturday it was demanding a four percent increase for some 15,000 members of ground staff, with KLM’s latest offer stalling at two percent. “It’s no good. Therefore we are calling a work stoppage,” FNV campaign leader Joost van Doesburg said.

“If KLM retains its position after the strike, new labour actions cannot be excluded,” he said in a statement. A strike by public transport workers in May forced dozens of flights to be cancelled at Schiphol, one of Europe’s busiest air travel hubs.