In the past period, we have again consulted with KLM several times about the consequences of Back on Track (BoT) and the new collective labor agreement. Although no agreement has yet been reached, we thought it would be good to inform you again about the state of affairs.

Back on Track (BoT)

Earlier we informed you that De Unie, together with the other ground unions, has issued a negative advice on the basis of Article 4.3 of the collective labor agreement. We consider the proposed reduction of jobs in the ground domain to be extremely unwise and have urged KLM to refrain from measures that lead to a reduction in the number of jobs in the ground domain, and/or measures that cause redundancy.

KLM reacted quickly to this and confirmed that the reduction in jobs is forced, but according to them inevitable given the current financial situation. KLM has thanked the ground unions for their advice and indicated that it will continue the advisory process with the works council.

Of course we find this response disappointing. For us, this means that we will continue to oppose any forced redundancies.

CLA and appendix 15

Appendix 15 of the collective labor agreement regulates the personnel consequences in the event of reorganizations. The works council has previously indicated that the current appendix 15 is not feasible in parts, and that they therefore cannot and will not give advice on the BoT requests for advice that have already been submitted. We agree.

In the talks with KLM in recent weeks, the emphasis has therefore been on modernising Annex 15. And for us, modernization does not mean austerity. We have always assumed the value of the current scheme, whether it concerns redeployment, mediation or compensation. In doing so, we want to leave the parts that are still feasible unchanged as much as possible.

Although there is certainly no agreement yet, steps are being taken. And that in itself is good news, because we want to provide clarity as quickly as possible to employees who are currently in uncertainty.

It is also good to mention that – as soon as we reach an agreement on Annex 15 – it is our commitment that the new agreements will not enter into force until 1 January 2026. We want to make separate agreements with KLM for all reorganisations in 2025 (including BoT), based on the principle of no compulsory redundancies. In these agreements, we focus exclusively on relocation, mediation and voluntary departure. Of course, we are inspired by the new appendix 15. But we are not there yet…

‘Announced’ or not?

In recent weeks, many employees have been informed – personally or otherwise – about the consequences of KLM’s plans. For a large number of ground workers, this would mean losing their jobs. In many cases, these conversations are interpreted as a kind of ‘notification conversation’. However, we cannot emphasise often enough that this cannot be the case. We have repeatedly pointed this out to KLM. As long as the works council has not issued an opinion and KLM has not taken a formal decision, the situation can still change – even if it may seem like a formality. Have you (had) to deal with this and do you have questions about it? Please feel free to contact us via huug.brinkers@unie.nl.

The sequel

KLM recently reported in a collective labor agreement update that colleagues from the NVLT have again left the collective labor agreement table in connection with a proposal by KLM regarding the extension of the labor market allowance for technicians. It is good to mention that we agree with the NVLT on the content when it comes to agreements for technicians in the new collective labor agreement. Because of the impending shortage of technicians, we have also drawn attention to this in our own proposal letter.

Talks will resume in mid-May. Not only about Annex 15, but also about all other collective labor agreement topics. We will inform you further about this later. The current collective labor agreement expired on March 1, and we find the fact that there is no new collective labor agreement yet undesirable.

As usual, KLM makes collective bargaining agreements on wages and duration in a so-called multi-context, i.e. with all unions in all domains jointly. Information from KLM shows that there is currently little or no progress in the collective labor agreement talks in other domains. In the long term, this can affect the speed with which agreements can be made in the land domain. We are concerned about this, because we want a new collective labor agreement as soon as possible. You deserve that!

Finally

We realize that for many of you it is currently hard work in this busy period for KLM. Despite everything, we wish you a happy Easter and will of course keep you informed of the sequel.