Tårnby will secure the jobs of the future at Copenhagen Airport with a new counseling and job center

Aviation's deep crisis makes Tårnby think new. The largest workplace in the municipality, Copenhagen Airport, is hit hard. Therefore, Tårnby in cooperation with SAS and CPH now open a counseling and job center right at the terminals. It will help the approximately 22,000 employees of the 1,000 companies in and around the airport with specialized help and advice to secure the jobs of the future.

Many families in Tårnby and in the rest of the metropolitan area need hope and a way out of the serious crisis that has hit the aviation and the many companies at Copenhagen Airport. Therefore, we need to think out of the box and create new opportunities for eg "consulting the companies so that we can get through the crisis with as many jobs as possible," says Tårnby's Mayor Allan S. Andersen about the upcoming Counseling and Job Center at Copenhagen Airport.

The aviation center targets the 1,000 companies in and around the airport, where the Corona crisis has hit hard. Several companies have warned that they are forced to step down at a time when the number of travelers has dropped by 99 percent, limits have been closed and air traffic has stalled.

At the center, which is operated and arranged in accordance with the applicable rules for eg. distance and hygiene, the affected companies can get specialized advice before they may have to terminate.

The same applies to employees who are laid off. Here, the center will be responsible for specific employment-oriented efforts for the individual terminated in the form of interviews, training courses, etc. The efforts of those terminated in the companies at the airport are irrespective of the employee's home municipality.

"These are extraordinary circumstances for the companies around the airport. And it calls for extraordinary solutions. That's why we took the initiative to collaborate with, among others, the airport and SAS on the new center, for example, where we need to help companies and employees find around the many schemes in the labor market, "says Allan S. Andersen.

Rather than retraining than dismissing

A-box manager in 3F Kastrup and chairman of the Labor Market and Employment Committee in Tårnby Municipality, Winnie Sørensen (F), believes that upgrading is one of many ways to avoid long-term unemployment.

"We need to help colleagues and businesses through a tough time and try to use the crisis to qualify for the future. At the same time, it is also important to be able to provide targeted advice to those who lose their jobs - but hopefully can return when the crisis clears up , "says Winnie Sørensen.

Joint VP at Copenhagen Airport, Peter Vium, believes that the many schemes in the employment system should play even better together - from the Labor Market Competence Funds and the WEU schemes on adult continuing education to the State Adult Education Support, SVU.

"It requires a bit of innovation, but it should be possible. Several companies will be able to receive a supplement for continuing education and save wage costs during the period when there is no or very little income," says Peter Vium.

"The need to look at the long working life has not diminished with the COVID-19, and now is a golden opportunity to use this time to take some big steps in the right direction. With retention and qualification, the airport companies can also retain the strong, specialized competencies of aviation employees. So a unified and shared effort across the entire airport makes good sense, "says Peter Vium.

Many companies at the airport have so far been able to avoid layoffs, while others have been forced to adapt. Eg. Norwegian has laid off 614 employees. Ground trader Menzies has sacked 155 and sent 200 home without pay. While SAS has notified redundancies of around 1,700 employees in Denmark.

SAS: Important advice and a solid network

"At SAS we work closely with the unions to minimize the number of redundancies. However, when it comes to redundancies, it is important to ensure the best possible counseling. Here it is really a good idea to place a center at the airport with targeted assistance to SAS and aviation employees, "says SAS negotiating manager Klaus Jørgensen.

He also notes that the upcoming center will be able to create a strong and aviation-relevant network of companies.

"It's incredibly sad that we have to say goodbye to dedicated and talented employees. But we have to set up the business after virtually no flying right now and that it may take several years to rebuild aviation," says Klaus Jorgensen.

CPH: We have a social responsibility

At Copenhagen Airport, CEO Thomas Woldbye sees great perspectives in the cooperation between the municipality, trade unions and companies to secure as many jobs as possible.

"Aviation is in a serious and deep crisis. Here, Copenhagen Airport has not only a great social responsibility for the 2,600 employees we have hired, but also for the more than 19,000 employees employed in all the other companies in and around Therefore, it makes good sense to place an aviation center here with us, "says Thomas Woldbye.

Copenhagen Airport has the equivalent of 1,600 full-time employees of the 2,600 employees, repatriated in full salary rotation, part of which is financed by the tripartite agreement on state wage compensation. Throughout the crisis, the airport has had a good dialogue with the government and the National Board of Labor and Recruitment.

"The pay compensation scheme has been crucial to the fact that Copenhagen Airport, despite a deep crisis and a 99 percent drop in traffic, can still fight to avoid layoffs and retain as many employees as possible," says Thomas Woldbye.

In addition to salary compensation, continuing education must also be one of several opportunities to retain the many specialized employees at the airport and help those who lose the job as best they can. The mayor of Tårnby Municipality supports this approach:

 "No one knows how long the current crisis will last. But we have an obligation to do our utmost to secure as many jobs as possible. "Now we also need to think about qualifying for the jobs of the future," says Allan S. Andersen.

Contact Information
CPH Press / +45 3231 2800
Mayor Allan S. Andersen / +45 20 24 16 75