For now, we’re going to have to learn how to enjoy our own neighbourhood instead of going to random places (like the office) by train. Why? The NS finally made an offer to its workers — but the strikes will continue.
Despite the new wage offer from the national train service, the Federation of Dutch Trade Unions (FNV) announced that the strike will continue, RTL Nieuws reports.
It’s a start, but it’s not enough
The main reason for the continuing strikes is simple: there is no agreement yet. The Union (FNV) has turned down the NS’s offer and wants more compensation for railway workers due to the current record-breaking inflation.
On behalf of the FNV, Henri Janssen says that the first offer of the NS was a “first step” in restarting the negotiations.
The NS initially planned to increase wages by 2.5% for a one-and-a-half-year period, AD reports.
Of course, right now, however, the future is a bit uncertain. Inflation has never been so high in the Netherlands. Ever. And who’s to say it won’t get much worse?
READ MORE: Breaking records: the Netherlands had highest inflation ever in August
Nationwide strikes loom
Previously regional strikes have been announced, but according to the NS, they will now take place nationwide.
The NS has announced that should the Unions and NS fail to agree, this Friday, September 9, Tuesday, September 13, and Thursday, September 15, there will be no trains at all across the Netherlands, the NOS reports.
So if you were planning to take a day trip across the Netherlands by train to see all the beautiful things this country has to offer, sorry schat, these dates are not the best option.
With students returning to school, it looks like this strike will affect even more people than before.
Thankfully most workplaces and schools are already quite used to remote work thanks to the pandemic, so we’ll survive it!
That being said, the entire country is hoping for an agreement soon so that people can train around once again in their beloved flat land.
Are you affected by the strike? What do you think of it? Let us know in the comments!
