Just as promised — the NS announced that no trains in the Netherlands will run on Friday.
The railway company announced they would cancel all trains if regional strikes continued, and they followed through.
While the strike was initially going to affect the Randstad region (except Utrecht), trains will be at a standstill starting Friday, September 9.
Regional strike plans
The staff unions already confirmed their regional strikes on Tuesday, September 13 (North, South and East regions) and Thursday, September 15 (Central region) would have a “major impact on NS train traffic throughout the country”.
“The actions are regional, but the action area is now larger, and our trains and colleagues run throughout the Netherlands,” says the NS to RTL Nieuws.
Last Tuesday, the country also saw a complete halt to train traffic, causing chaos for commuters everywhere.
Insufficient offers
The NS previously offered to increase wages by 2.5% for a limited period, which the trade unions rejected.
In the meantime, the company submitted a new offer, with a wage increase of 5% and a one-time bonus of €650.
The trade union FNV Spoor sees this as the “first step” towards resuming negotiations, but they still have not reached an agreement.
Want the latest Dutch news to come zooming through the internet to your inbox? Dat kan! Subscribe to DutchReview’s weekly roundup 📮
Unions serve Three purposes; 1. Make it difficult or impossible for companies to fire incompetent and lazy workers as long as they vote/toe the union line. 2. Demand a cut of workers’ wages to pay union bosses and keep them in their fat cat lifestyle. 3. Promote socialist policies that in many cases lead to Communism. The union slogan: “Workers of the World Unite”.