KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (Amsterdam) today reached a further agreement in principle with the Dutch Air Line Pilots Association (Vereniging Nederlandse Verkeersvliegers – VNV).

The agreement in principle reached with VNV will now be put before the association’s membership base for approval.

The airline provided these details:

Perform 2020

Lengthy and intense negotiations took place with a VNV delegation in recent months. VNV consistently expressed its willingness to invest in the company. KLM and VNV have now reached an agreement for the forthcoming three-year period from  January 1, 2015 up to and including December 31, 2017, in which the pilots’ contribution towards the employment conditions is proportionately balanced with the consideration required of KLM by VNV and will also contribute significantly towards achieving the Air France KLM Perform 2020 objectives.

The outcome

The outcome achieved through negotiation now means that pilots will give concrete shape to the annual productivity gain of 4%. The agreement also includes a concrete increase in the retirement age. Moreover, this agreement will also generate an improvement in KLM’s cash position. In return for this investment, pilots now enjoy access to shares. This will be defined further. The agreement in principle has yet to be tested against legal, fiscal and governance aspects.

What are the results of negotiations with the Dutch Air Line Pilots Association (VNV)?

Holiday entitlement

From commencement of the 2016 collective labor agreement (CLA) year, all pilots will enjoy a holiday entitlement of 35 days. Holiday entitlement was first awarded on the basis of age, and varied from 34 to 38 days.

21 days leave during summer

The number of contiguous days leave during the summer period has been reduced by 1 day to 21 calendar days starting from April 1, 2016.

Transparent holiday scheme

A properly functioning offer and exchange platform will increase the transparency and predictability of the holiday scheme for pilots.

ICA: Change to travel leave days (leave scheme)

Starting from the winter schedule, travel leave in travel cycles of more than 3 travel leave days will no longer be rounded upward. For example, if a flight generates 4.2 travel leave days, this will no longer be rounded up to 5 days.

As a result (in this example), the travel leave after a flight will thus be 4.2 days instead of 5. The 0.2 travel leave day (4.2 – 4) will not be lost, as the decimal will be counted. As soon as the decimals total 1 full travel leave day, the day will be awarded to the pilot.

The current CLA agreement and method (rounding system) will remain applicable to travel cycles of 3 or fewer travel leave days.

ICA: Reduction of 4-pilot operations

Cape Town, Seoul and Kuala Lumpur have been designated as 3-pilot instead of 4-pilot destinations. Should any of these destinations no longer apply, KLM and VNV will in consultation designate another 4-pilot destination.

Note: KLM conducts ICA flights with two, three or four pilots. The number of pilots in the cockpit depends on the applicable flight time.

Boeing 737: Assignment

A Boeing 737 pilot is assigned in cycles of 28 days (16 working days, 12 leave days). This will be adjusted by structurally raising the number of working days from 16 to 17 (with 11 leave days).

KLC: Public holidays

KLC pilots will with retroactive effect from January 1, 2015 surrender 3 of the 6 public holidays provided for by the CLA.The maximum number of flight hours per 30 days and per year as stated in the CLA will be raised in order to accommodate the productivity increase resulting from this measure.

Boeing 787 classification

Pilots can vary/ mix flights* with the Boeing 787 and Boeing 777-200/300. KLM and VNV have a shared vision of the professional and technical aspects that require attention in this respect, including a logical design and the accompanying preconditions. Consultations on this will continue also after the introduction of the Boeing 787.

This has resulted in the proposal that the Boeing 787 be classified in the same manner as the Boeing 777 in terms of payment, the rules applicable to duty and rest times (WRR) as well as the position in the pilot career scheme (RVL).

Two beds and a seat for resting purposes are available in the Overhead Flight Crew Rest (OFCR) area. If a business class seat is still available on the flight day in the case of 4-pilot destinations, this seat will be made available to the 4th pilot for resting purposes.

The Boeing 787 cockpit OFCR is certified for the entire flight operation, including taxiing, takeoff and landing.

* A pilot flies/ is certified for both the Boeing 777 200/300 and the Boeing 787.

Pensions

The retirement age will be raised in 4 steps from 56 to 58. This means that starting from 2016, it will be raised by six months each year until the retirement age of 58 years is reached in 2019.

Additional agreements reached on the financing of the pension scheme have released a significant amount in pension contributions, thus improving the cash position of KLM.

Counter performance KLM

Shares in AF-KLM

KLM will provide pilots with a one-off share package as compensation for the resulting productivity gains and pension concessions.

Profit-sharing scheme

The current profit-sharing scheme will be replaced by an improved profit-sharing scheme.

90% part-time

A 90% part-time variant will be added to the existing options for all WRR appendices. This offers pilots the possibility of exchanging the raised productivity for a salary reduction. The new employment percentage cannot be applied in combination with parental leave.

Employment

KLM has in this proposal committed itself to the VNV to include the same employment provision as that agreed with the ground and cabin unions. This provision states that no forced redundancies will take place on economic grounds during the CLA period as long as the existing instruments used for this purpose (including temporary increase in part-time and/or non-activity) are adequate. The parties will enter into consultations if these instruments prove to be inadequate.

Term

The term is from January 1, 2015 up to and including December 31, 2017.

Image: KLM.

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