FNV announced in a statement on Wednesday afternoon that no further measures have been taken yet. The union and ProRail are still working on the final details of the collective labor agreement. For now, it looks like FNV has had a hit with its run on Wednesday morning. The word is now up to the members. Syndicate leader Michael Boyer said, “If they agree to the agreement, the collective labor agreement and the new procedures will be completely canceled.”
No trains
Due to an event by FNV Spoor members Wednesday morning at traffic control points on ProRail, there were no trains in the Amsterdam area between 06:00 and 08:00. Trains also stopped for two hours in the Utrecht and Alkmaar regions. The federation announced its measures from Wednesday to Saturday in various places across the country.
The reason was the stalled collective bargaining agreement of the railway workers. After months of negotiations, ProRail rejected an ultimatum from the FNV. There was, among other things, disagreement over the term of the collective labor agreement and the percentage increase in wages. This appears to have changed now.
On Thursday, campaigns will follow in the regions of The Hague, Rotterdam, Dordrecht and Rosendal, and on Friday in the regions of Eindhoven, Maastricht, Arnhem, Zwolle and Groningen. The FNV had planned a 24-hour nationwide strike on Saturday, starting at 5 a.m. These actions are now canceled.
Hassle
Guild leader Boyer wrote on the FNV website: “Everyone knows and understands that this is powerful and radical.” Hopefully, it isn’t necessary to follow this entire schedule. Or even worse, having to organize a second round of actions. However, that’s in ProRail’s hands.
The Dutch Railways Corporation announced Tuesday that it regrets the inconvenience caused to travelers. The carrier said it is taking measures to start the schedule in the relevant regions as soon as possible after the procedures. Elsewhere, trains started on Wednesday morning as soon as possible on the normal schedule.
