Netherlands: Strike halts buses and regional trains in several regions
Unions FNV and CNV struck regional public transport. They plan one strike day a week until Christmas, announced at short notice.
Symbolic image · Photo: Robbie Klinkenberg / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
Many buses and regional trains were idle in several Dutch regions on Wednesday as workers struck regional public transport. Unions FNV and CNV walked out after talks on a new collective labor agreement broke down; the old one expired on July 1. They are demanding more manageable schedules, a 9.5% pay rise over two years, better arrangements for older workers and nine weeks of fully paid parental leave.
Operators Arriva, EBS, Qbuzz, Keolis and Transdev are affected. No trains ran in Limburg, according to Arriva, and only about 15% of its buses were expected to run in North Brabant; RET buses in Rotterdam did not run. City operators in Amsterdam and The Hague and national railway NS are not affected. The unions plan one strike day every week until Christmas, with timing and form announced at short notice.