Minister Aartsen backs court ruling on Schiphol baggage work
In answers on heavy baggage work at Schiphol, Social Affairs and Employment Minister Aartsen (Werk en Participatie) told parliament that employers must protect workers' health regardless of other interests.
Baggage handlers do depend on Schiphol if they are to automate the baggage process fully, Minister Aartsen told MPs in written answers received on 26 October 2026. He confirmed the Noord-Holland court's finding.
In line with that ruling, the labour inspectorate (Nederlandse Arbeidsinspectie, NLA) has issued new decisions on objections, the minister said.
MPs asked whether handling baggage is a core process at airports, and whether workers' health should come before the technical, operational and economic interests of employers. Aartsen said airports have several processes that can count as core, such as facilitating air traffic.
He pointed to Article 3 of the working conditions act (Arbowet), under which the employer must ensure employees' safety and health. "This duty of care for employers applies regardless of any other interests," he said.
On a separate ruling by the Oost-Brabant court, in a dispute with a parcel delivery company, he said it concerns the particulars and circumstances of that case.
Asked whether it is undesirable that companies in Schiphol Group's position cannot be held legally accountable for how they affect working conditions outside their own company, Aartsen answered: "No, I do not share that view."
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NLA (Nederlandse Arbeidsinspectie)
The Netherlands Labour Authority is the Dutch government body that supervises whether employers and employees follow Dutch rules on working conditions, including safety, health, working hours and the employment of foreign workers. Its inspectors can carry out checks at workplaces, issue orders and fines, and decide on objections against enforcement measures. Its decisions matter for companies and workers because they set how the labour rules are enforced in practice.
Arbowet (Arbeidsomstandighedenwet)
The Working Conditions Act is the main Dutch law on health and safety at work. It requires employers to identify and manage risks in the workplace and to ensure the safety and health of their employees, and it sets out the duties of employees too. The law is enforced by the Dutch labour inspectorate, so it is the basis for most workplace safety obligations in the Netherlands.