Originally Posted by
Global_Global
Well the problem is self induced as well.... If only you could hire DEP on specific types you would solve 99% of the staffing problems. Pilots are still interested to join KLM as the pay is still good and the production very, very low.. But the seniority system and hiring practices are f@cking up any change to get new bodies in quickly.. Case in point are theTUIfly 787 pilots that are joining and all will have to be retrained on the 73 or Emb. Waste of capital and time.
Of course if other legacy European or US airlines hired direct entry captains, many captains would leave KLM for better jobs. You could make the point that seniority system actually helps them retain staff and keeps labor costs down.
Besides, this dispute is not about money; the salary paragraph has already been agreed to, is the same modest increase that all of the other unions got recently, and is not under discussion. The dispute is about the fact that there is general agreement that the last deal in 2015 was too concessionary and needs to be rectified. Only KLM’s management is offering nothing more than promises to make things better at some vague point in the future, and the pilot’s union doesn’t believe them (with good reason). Unlike the unions in some other European countries, Dutch unions hate strikes; in the almost 100 year history of Dutch ALPA you could count the number of strikes on one hand, the last one being 23 years ago, so hopefully this can be solved with some good old-fashioned Dutch give-and-take.