If you savour the moments you can enjoy a complimentary broodje kaas while flying through the air, times are a changin’. KLM has announced that it must cut no less than 15% of its workforce in a drastic measure to maintain its continued existence.
Yep, the company’s “continued existence is not a given,” KLM President and CEO Marjan Rintel writes in a press release.
With company profits lagging behind, and €1 billion needed to invest in a new fleet, costs have to be cut, and employees are on the chopping block.
This 15% slash will equal a whopping 5,000 jobs lost.
Voluntary departure
KLM is hoping that the majority of positions can be cut through voluntary departure schemes. However, we’ll have to wait and see what this will look like in reality.
Rintel writes that “The circumstances in which we operate are only becoming more complex: global unrest, high fuel prices, and pressure on the aviation industry. That is why, at this turning point for KLM, we are taking drastic and sometimes painful measures. Every component, every division is asked to contribute.”
The company will ultimately become smaller, with external partners taking over work, and more cooperation with Air-France KLM on the horizon.
We should have seen this coming when KLM started toying with the idea of actually charging people for their complimentary broodje kaas.
How do you feel about KLM downsizing? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.
