Regional transport across the country will go on strike this week. There are fewer buses and trains from Monday to Friday.
The unions organize the strike after meeting with the employers. Here are five questions and answers on the public transport strike this week.
What can we expect?
In regional transport, there is a strike among bus drivers and train workers. According to the FNV union, the strike will be felt mainly in Dordrecht, Achterhoek and the Limburg region. Keolis and Arriva carriers are largely responsible for the train traffic here.
Keolis also has bus routes. Qbuzz has bus routes in Groningen and Drenthe, operates buses and trams in Utrecht, and offers a train connection between Dordrecht and Geldermalsen. According to FNV, there are many active members participating in the strike in these areas.
Dutch Railways staff will not attend and the railway company does not expect any additional crowds on trains. ANWB warns of additional (local) traffic on the road.
How many strikes have we had lately?
The last strike took place less than a month ago, on January 19 and 20. At that time, regional buses and regional trains sometimes did not run. This led to failure in large parts of Brabant. According to employers, about three-quarters of the buses did not go there. There were few signs of a strike in the north.
It was also a hit a month ago – then only in the north of our country. Regional drivers and conductors went on strike for three days. The willingness to work was high at the time, according to the unions, and they assume that will be the case with this week’s strike.
According to CNV union spokesman Kees de Vos, previous strikes have always lasted one, two or three days. He admits that the strike lasted too long, but speaks of “solid hope” that it will be enough to change employers’ minds.
Why another strike?
In previous strikes, the wage offer from employers was 5 percent. It rose another 3 percent in April next year to now 8 percent. But that’s not enough, according to the FNV association. The problem isn’t this year’s increase, according to regional transportation manager Edwin Kuiper. The real problem is that workers will have to cover higher inflation themselves next year.
According to the union, the wage increase should be 10 percent this year and 4 percent in 2024.
what else is playing
Besides wages, work pressure, absenteeism and early retirement are also important, according to CNV member De Vos.
Arriva says she’s ready to discuss these issues. An employer plan includes an offer for drivers to retire early. An employee who wishes and can afford to retire earlier can retire two years before the statutory retirement age, according to the old collective agreement. According to CNV, this is one of the points where no agreement has yet been reached.
Will there be more strikes in the future?
Unions are hoping to get a response from employers this week. If not, don’t ignore any further caveats. CNV: “Obviously, this makes travelers very uncomfortable and we don’t prefer to have it.
FNV’s Kuiper also says: “We don’t overlook anything if employers are involved.”
An Arriva spokesperson said, “This is the final offer. This is valid until Monday, after that nothing else is on the table.
Source: NOS
Roy Brown is a renowned economist and author at The Nation View. He has a deep understanding of the global economy and its intricacies. He writes about a wide range of economic topics, including monetary policy, fiscal policy, international trade, and labor markets.
