Coronavirus: Commission proposes €6.8 million to support 1,700 dismissed workers of air carriers KLM and Finnair
Today, the European Commission proposes to support 1,200 former workers of KLM in the Netherlands and 500 former workers of Finnair in Finland, who lost their jobs due to the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on passenger air transport.
© Shutterstock / LightField Studios
The proposed total of €6.8 million from the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) will help them find new jobs through further education or training or support them to start their own business.
Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, Nicolas Schmit, said: "As a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of passenger flights worldwide dropped dramatically. With a total of €6.8 million of financial support from the EGF proposed today, we show solidarity to 1,700 former workers of KLM and Finnair in the air transport sector. This support will help these people to retrain and find new jobs.”
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the aviation industry due to travel restrictions and a dramatic decline in passenger air transport. The Netherlands and Finland applied for EGF support separately to help dismissed KLM and Finnair workers.
The measures co-financed by the EGF range from job-searching advice and vocational orientation, to training, hiring benefits and support to start a business. Participants may receive additional incentives, such as allowances for travel, accommodation and moving house to cover related expenditure incurred during job-seeking or training.
In the case of former workers of Finnair in Finland, the total estimated cost of the support measures is €2.9 million, of which the EGF will provide €1.8 million. In the case of former workers of KLM in the Netherlands, the total estimated cost of the support measures is €8.4 million, of which the EGF will provide €5 million. The remaining amounts will be financed in the case of dismissed workers of KLM by the company, and in the case of dismissed workers of Finnair by Finnish authorities.*
The Commission's proposals will need to be approved by the European Parliament and the Council.