At the Dutch airline KLM, a last-minute agreement averted a pilot strike that could have taken place from September 25, 2023. The VNV union and management were finally able to reach a compromise late on Sunday evening. Tensions had been brewing between the employer and the pilots' union for several months. The employees' demands included a new collective agreement that would provide for higher pay. For a long time, it looked as if an agreement was a long way off and could escalate into a strike. But that did not happen, as both VNV and KLM have confirmed that a compromise had been found. The union now wants to submit the key points paper, which, among other things, provides for higher pay for pilots, to its members for a vote. The new collective agreement is to be valid retroactively from March 2, 2023 until February 28, 2025. On average, salaries are to increase by 5,5 percent per year. It was also agreed that the pilots should receive a one-off payment of two percent. This is intended to compensate for financial disadvantages that arose after the expiration of the old collective agreement at the end of March 2023. It is also noteworthy that it was taken into account that KLM could use fewer pilots on long-haul routes in the future. However, this should not yet lead to the single-pilot operation demanded by some carriers. It is simply a matter of three instead of four pilots being able to be on board certain long-haul routes in the future. Both VNV and KLM emphasize in a joint statement that flight safety will always remain the top priority.
