5 days Ago
Workers Under Great Pressure in Unsafe Conditions
In a recent survey, 67 of around 100 Skytanking workers responded to FNV. The findings indicate a broad culture of fear, with employees feeling that they are overworked and undervalued. Stijn Jansen, director of FNV, said that "everyone knows warehouses in The Netherlands, it's the same story: they squeeze the employees, they want to they're the lemon, you have to be efficient, but they have these very demanding times." The pressure has created more sick days and more work for the workers who are left.
"The workers have few guarantees in terms of getting a work schedule," Jansen said. If workers complain about their conditions, management often ignores or disciplines them. Skytanking has been in charge of several operations at Eindhoven Airport since April last year, such as overseeing baggage check-in, guiding passengers and loading and unloading baggage for Ryanair's flights.
Last August, the Labour Inspectorate put Skytanking on notice after finding bags were not loaded in time because of a lack of staff. This left a few flights luggage-less. However, progress has been sparse even since. In the most recent survey, 41 per cent reported "speed often to always comes before safety," and that is even more concerning.
FNV Demands Requirements on Temp Agencies and Safe Working Conditions
FNV director Jansen described the current situation as "really worrying" and underlined that safety must take priority. He compared the Eindhoven situation with what is happening in a similar study at Schiphol, but at Skytanking Eindhoven, the circumstances are even worse for staff.
FNV is also campaigning for a minimum staffing level and for the employees to have more say in their work schedules. The union is also pushing for "systemic" changes in how safety is achieved at work.
Eindhoven Airport has also said it will converse with Skytanking about the issues raised. According to spokesman Gijs Vrenken, they are aware of the outcome of the investigation, and the airport, which is in the end responsible for safety, is prepared to further discuss this. So far, Skytanking has not commented on the issues.
