There are strikes in regional transportation every day from Tuesday to Friday. Bus drivers and other employees, among others, Connexxion and Arriva, each time put their work in a different area in order to enforce a better collective labor agreement. Strikes can inconvenience travelers every day. The carriers did not strike in the city, except in Utrecht.
Why is there a strike?
The FNV Federation believes that the workload of regional transport is too high. This is partly due to staff shortages and because carriers operate with too many part-time workers. The wages are also not high enough and the union believes that a large number of bus routes have disappeared in recent years. The union wants to do something about it in a new collective labor agreement.
Earlier this year, the carriers submitted a final offer to this collective labor agreement. Remarkably, the CNV syndicate agreed, but the FNV did not. As a result, FNV drivers decided to stop operating earlier this year. This week’s strikes are a continuation of that. So it only concerns transport personnel who are FNV members. Other employees will come to work.
When does it strike?
Today it is the turn of the provinces of Flevoland, South Holland and Zeeland. Tomorrow there will be a strike in the north of the Netherlands and the province of Utrecht. On Thursday, employees in Gelderland, North Brabant and Limburg will stop working, after which Overijssel, Drenthe, Friesland and Groningen County will follow on Friday. The following week, on Friday 16 September, a nationwide strike will follow. Unless the carriers and FNV reach an agreement in the meantime.
Who exactly did I strike and who did not?
Strikes with regional airlines. This mainly concerns buses. In addition to the companies listed above, this also relates to EBS and Keolis, among others. In addition to buses, some of these carriers also use trains, such as Breng and Arriva. This transmission may also be affected.
There are also transport companies whose employees are not participating in this strike. For example, NS trains will run on schedule this week, except for Friday. Moreover, city transport in Amsterdam (GVB), The Hague (HTM) and Rotterdam (RET) also works normally, because these companies are covered by a different collective labor agreement. Transportation in the city of Utrecht will be affected, as this is carried out by a regional airline.
How much inconvenience for travelers?
This is unpredictable, because carriers don’t know exactly how many of their employees will be on strike. This only becomes clear at the last minute. Companies advise travelers to postpone their trip or choose an alternative means of transportation if possible. If not, travelers should consider delays and cancellations of buses, trains and trams.
