The court in preliminary relief proceedings has judged against KLM. KLM regrets the court’s decision. The KLM cabin crew collective labour agreement (CLA) states that negotiation should be the first step. If this fails, it is to be followed by mediation. Only if mediation fails can industrial action be resorted to.

KLM also regrets that the judge has not responded to KLM’s demand to be notified 24 hours in advance about who will be taking part in industrial action if that action is to interrupt work for more than 40 minutes. This judgement will cause disruption for passengers. KLM is considering what steps to take next.

Why a new collective labour agreement is needed

The world is changing and KLM has to change with it. Benchmarks show that there is still a great difference between KLM and its competitors. In order to be able to invest, grow and maintain employment and a future perspective, it is vital that KLM reduces its costs to the agreed levels by raising productivity. KLM has already agreed new CLAs with ground personnel and cockpit crews, in which productivity improvements have been agreed. Employment terms and conditions at KLM are and will continue to be excellent compared with other companies in the Netherlands and other airlines.