01.02.2010
Work stoppage at Copenhagen Airport

There is a wildcat work stoppage at Copenhagen Airport today after CPH has informed staff that the operation of the two staff canteens will be outsourced effective 1 March 2010. The decision to outsource the canteens will not lead to redundancies and the airport maintains that the agreement will benefit all employees at Copenhagen Airport.

After Copenhagen Airport informed its staff last Friday that the operation of its two staff canteens will be outsourced to WIP on 1 March, the staff elected to hold union meetings. It is a wildcat stoppage and very regrettable according to the airport’s VP for Communications.

“We think this work stoppage is very regrettable and believe that everyone can see how unfortunate it would be to have a real conflict over something like this. First, because we are all interested in ensuring that our passengers can travel on time, and secondly, because it is not a question of a deterioration of the staff’s working conditions – rather the opposite. The agreement ensures good and more flexible working conditions for the canteen staff, and our other staff can continue to buy food at low prices, even when they are on duty early or late,” said Henrik P. Jørgensen, VP, Communications, Copenhagen Airports A/S.

Although the decision to outsource canteen operations led to union meetings today and consequently a number of flight delays and dissatisfied passengers, it is still an important part of the ongoing professionalisation and optimisation of the airport business.

“It makes very good sense to outsource the operation of our canteens. We are experts in airport operation, not in making food. The great advantage of outsourcing is that we can concentrate on the things we are good at, namely operating and developing the airport. And the idea is that that the time we save will be spent on attracting new routes so that we can get even more passengers through the airport,” said Henrik P. Jørgensen.