WP RR 17 - Industrial relations in the transport sector in the Netherlands

List of trade union organisations at KLM, with national and European affiliation

Source: interviews

In sum: FNV Bondgenoten, CNV Bedrijvenbond and Unie MHP cooperate to represent
ground staff whereas the labour unions for airline pilots and cabin grew ("flying staff")
‘monopolise’ representation in their respective categories at all airline companies. In the
non-airline subsectors (freight settlement and maintenance), FNV Bondgenoten and De
Unie are the major unions; CNV Bedrijvenbond is less important here. All these labour
unions are recognised as sufficiently representative by the aviation companies to be able
to bargain for the categories of employees they claim to represent.

3.3 Employers and labour unions in air traffic control

Until the beginning of the 1990s, air traffic control activities were solely controlled by the
state. In 1993, the service for air traffic control was put at greater distance from the state.
The service was given the legal status of Independent Governing Authority (Zelfstandig
BestuursOrgaan, ZBO). ZBOs are either public-law organisations, which form part of the
central state, but have a non-hierarchical relation to the according Minister; or private-law
organisations, which have been delegated public authority and competencies by the state
(Staatsalmanak 1998). The ZBO for air traffic controllers is related to the Ministry of
Transport, Public Works and Water Management, and the minister is still politically
accountable. This service is called Luchtverkeersleiding Nederland (Air traffic control
Netherlands, LVNL).¹⁵ The LVNL is involved in practically all discussions about Dutch

Recently, a discussion about the status of the LVNL has commenced. In December 1999 the minister of Transport
announced that the LVNL were to be financially independent by the beginning of 2002; and that the aim was the
full privatisation of air traffic control in the future. This may have major consequences for the smaller airports in

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