Last week, an ultimatum that the unions had issued to NS expired.
After last week's failed negotiations, after the ultimatum was reached, the personnel of the Dutch Railways want to stop working locally next week and the week after that. It concerns 24-hour relay strikes that start in the North region and the following days it is the turn of other regions. The NOS knows that if the NS management does not comply with the conditions of the unions, nationwide strikes will follow in the first week of September.
The actions follow the failed collective labor agreement negotiations between NS and the trade unions FNV, CNV and VVMC. After an ultimatum from the trade unions expired last Friday, NS employees are going to campaign for a new collective labor agreement. On 25 July last, it appeared that with a large majority of more than 90% the members had rejected the last NS collective labor agreement offer and are prepared to take action.
FNV Spoor
The members of FNV Spoor are well aware that they will affect travelers during the campaigns. They also find that regrettable, but the nuisance is unavoidable and ultimately in the interest of the travelers. FNV Spoor now sees that NS is not getting the vacancies filled, which is why trains are canceled and social safety is under serious pressure. A decent collective labor agreement is needed to turn that tide.
Also with good agreements about more social and healthy schedules. Only then will NS be able to fill the vacancies again and prevent further underutilisation. This makes the timetable for passengers reliable again and the service and social safety return to the previously high level.
More than 20.000 people work at NS, of which 16.700 are covered by the NS collective labor agreement.
