After an eternity of commuting chaos in the Netherlands, the NS and trade unions have finally agreed to increase staff wages by 9.5% in 18 months. As a result, all train strikes have officially been cancelled. Hoera! 🥳
In addition to the wage hike, NS staff will also be getting an extra payment of €1,000 in December 2022 and July 2023.
They’ll also no longer have to be reachable outside working hours and can have two guaranteed vacation days from 2023.
In the future, the labour agreement plans to tackle the high workload experienced by the staff by limiting night and weekend shifts.
Wage hike? It’s only a start
The president-director of the NS, Bert Groenewegen, expressed his enthusiasm about the agreement, stating that such a proposal would help with the rising living costs.
However, the agreement is only the first stepping stone to greener pastures for NS staff. It does not account for work pressure, job satisfaction, and staff shortages.
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Members of the trade unions all chimed in on the topic, stating that, for now, they’re satisfied with the consensus as it creates a better work-life balance for the NS staff.
“We cannot solve everything in the collective labour agreement, and we cannot immediately magically remove the staff shortage, but it is good that we have now made a number of agreements”, Jerry Piqué of the CNV trade union tells the NOS.
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“In our opinion, there is not much more that can be done. The NS had to come from far; the negotiations were tough. We are happy with it because we do not strike for pleasure. And it is also great for travellers that the strikes are now over”, Henri Janssen of the FNV trade union tells the NOS.
Lengthy train strikes finally paid off
Strikes were still planned on Tuesday and Thursday for the coming week, but with this agreement, we can officially say sayonara to biking (or hiking) to work and school.
According to the NS, they’re still not sure how the labour agreement will affect train ticket prices.
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“We will look at that later this year. There is one moment when we can increase the prices: that is January 1, and that is subject to rules. Moreover, the unions still have to present the result to their members”, the NS tells the NOS.
What do you think about the labour agreement for the NS staff? Tell us in the comments below! 👇