FNV already received signals Wednesday morning that security guards would be off work at 11 a.m. The union is not involved in this, because a meeting with the airport management is scheduled for 4 pm on Wednesday afternoon.

An airport spokesman said: “Schiphol manager Dick Pinshop also wrote to security officers earlier in the morning about the intent to strike and asked them not to. The blow seemed to have been averted. maintains this position. Just before 11:30 am, security is working as it should. “He believes. It is a busy day, but there is no strike.”

Joost van Doesburg of the FNV union recently reported on Twitter that people have already given up their jobs. According to Schiphol, the union appears to be wrong. As a result, pressure on the Wednesday afternoon meeting continues to mount.

Tension breaks off

The announcement of the FNV feral cat strike came, explains FNV Director, Herrie Hoogenboom. He heard that on Monday evening security guards had informed the union tent in Schiphol Plaza to announce that they would not tolerate it and would strike, even if the FNV did not support it.

“We do not endorse attacking feral cats,” Hoogenboom says. We have called not to strike. We consult. At 4pm we give a show to the Schiphol Group, they only need to tag it. The situation must improve, this must change. But we do not support the brutal strike. The tension is already cut off. Soon there will be a fight among them.”

The bearded unionist, who himself practices Zen Buddhism, does not wait for it. “Nobody inside the FNV wants that. We stand for nonviolence.” As far as Hoogenboom can be sure, his call not to strike has been heeded. He could not confirm the rumors that in some places the work was laid down and taken over by others.

Why was the Schiphol administration’s response so curt? How does chaos erupt at the airport? Yteke de Jong and Koen Nederhof discuss this in a new episode of their travel podcast sign in†

Huge staff shortage

Schiphol is struggling with a massive understaffing of security, handling and other essential parts of the airport. This shortage led to the May holidays with endless queues making people unwell, fighting and losing their flights. Two weeks ago, the handling staff at KLM went on strike unexpectedly. This resulted in the cancellation of dozens of flights.