Staff shortages at Schiphol in the run-up to the peak holiday season is putting workers at the airport under too much pressure, a survey by union FNV shows.

Of the 427 respondents, 88% said they felt apprehensive about the airport’s ability to process the summer crowds.

The union said it is worried about mounting work pressure, sick leave and the safety risks posed by a lack of staff.

“Hardly a day goes by when we don’t get an email asking us to take on an extra shift,” security guard and FNV member Chiyo Blumming told broadcaster NOS. “The other day I was even told they would throw in a couple of gift vouchers,” she said.

Blumming said she enjoys the job, but the lack of colleagues sometimes means holidays have to be postponed. “Even going to the loo is a problem because someone has to take over,” she told the broadcaster.

Jaap de Bie of FNV aviation said the risk is that more people will call in sick. “The longer this lasts, the more people will drop out. And the season proper hasn’t even started yet,” he said.

Long delays

Two years ago lack of security staff and baggage handlers brought the airport to a virtual standstill, with long queues forming outside the airport building. Thousands of travellers missed their flights.

Baggage handler and FNV member Tony Roomeijer said the airport can just about cope with the current volume of traffic. “We have holes in the schedule which we try to cover, but if that fails there will be delays,” he said.

The 19% rise in salaries for airport workers is not enough to compensate for inflation or attract people to join the workforce, Roomeijer said.

Schiphol said in a response that it is giving the problem its full attention. “We appreciate that unions such as FNV keep monitoring the situation and give us valuable feedback,” a spokesman said.

“We are talking to them and the companies active at Schiphol, including security firms, to improve the quality of the working conditions.”

The union said Schiphol must act quickly to solve the staff shortages. “The pressure is too great and if this continue and it affects workers’ health, then as far as we are concerned that means scrapping flights,” he told NOS. It is not clear if this means FNV is planning strike action.