The owners of Amsterdam’s embattled Schiphol Airport say they have come to an agreement with two unions that represent security officers to hike wages by as much as 40 per cent in a desperate bid to attract new recruits and end months of travel chaos that have beset the airport.
Last week, the airport announced controversial measures to “drastically” slash passenger numbers for the next six months because of staff shortages, particularly staff who screen passengers at security checkpoints across the airport.
Passenger numbers at Schiphol will be reduced by as much as 22 per cent through to the end of April 2023. Other airports across Europe have been forced to reduce capacity due to staffing woes, but most have all returned to normal or plan to do so in the next couple of months.
The FNV union said the Royal Schiphol Group had agreed to increase hourly pay rates by 2.50 Euros. The wage increase is on top of a previously agreed pay hike of 1.40 Euros per hour which failed to attract enough recruits to keep up with travel demand at the Dutch air hub.
In such a tight labour market, luring workers into shift has been particularly difficult so, in addition, the FV union said Schiphol had agreed to pay security officers working the night shift a 35 per cent premium on their normal hourly rate.
Schiphol claims the total package amounts to a pay increase of as much as 40 per cent.
“In combination with better rosters and rest areas, this is an important measure in solving the shortage of security officers at the airport,” a Schiphol spokesperson said on Thursday afternoon.
Dutch flag carrier KLM said it was facing a “hopeless situation” after it was asked to once again reduce passenger numbers. The airline is also facing pressure from the Dutch government to further reduce capacity to meet tough new noise and emission goals.
