Alarmed by prospect of more Air France strikes, KLM staff speak out
By Toby Sterling
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Dutch employees of Air France-KLM, wary of becoming collateral damage in the company's escalating labour conflict, launched a petition on Wednesday calling on their French colleagues not to carry out any more strikes.
The petition, which quickly garnered more than 1,000 signatures, is the latest sign of Dutch discontent with the trajectory of Air France-KLM.
Air France, whose parent is Franco-Dutch group Air France-KLM, announced 2,900 job cuts on Monday, prompting violent protests among its staff, including an incident in which two managers had their clothing torn by angry workers.
KLM spokesman Joost Ruempol said the petition by KLM cabin crew, which was not sponsored by the company, called on Air France employees to enter a "constructive" dialogue with management and not to further alienate the public.
"Further hurting our cash position won't be a solution and will only increase the problems," KLM crew said in the petition.
Dolf Polders, the representative for KLM cabin and ground crew at the CNV Labour union, said KLM workers had been following the conflict at Air France "intensely."
He said KLM, which has already undergone one restructuring in the past two years, is prepared "to make further sacrifices."
"But while KLM staff are behaving responsibly, employees of Air France are behaving like spoiled children," he said, referring to the clothing-tearing incident.
KLM became part of the Air France-KLM group in 2004, but has retained its own structure and a Dutch identity.
After a strike by French pilots in 2014 cost the company 330 million euros in operating profit, managers at the Dutch subsidiary in January flatly refused to transfer cash to Paris to help with group-level financing.
The Dutch parliament, which in theory has no say over the French-based company, passed a resolution backing KLM's position. Air France relented.
The Netherlands' Finance Minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem also weighed in on Tuesday, saying he was "very worried" about Air France-KLM.
"Some big choices need to be made to become competitive again with the new big carriers and the budget airlines, and that really must begin with a restructuring," he said in an interview with RTL Nieuws.
"I hope very much that Air France's directors show a little backbone and push ahead with the measures."
Union sources told Reuters on Tuesday that Air France could axe a further 5,000 jobs if a second phase of its cost cutting plan goes ahead, although the company denied the figures.
(Editing by Susan Fenton)
