FNV advocates that the new cabinet should ensure that people with heavy work can stop working earlier.
In the week before Budget Day, strikes are announced in public transport. The trade union FNV insists that the new cabinet takes measures so that people with heavy work can stop working earlier. Strikes will take place on September 10, 11 and 12 in both city and regional transport and at the Dutch Railways (NS). Public transport employees are demanding concrete plans from the new cabinet to enable them to stop heavy work earlier, especially because the current heavy work scheme expires in 2025.
According to FNV, the patience of public transport staff has run out. They argue for a better scheme for people with heavy work, so that they can retire earlier. Henri Janssen, director of FNV Spoor, emphasizes that even after actions by the police, metal workers and construction workers, the government refuses to take responsibility. He states: “Apparently the ladies and gentlemen politicians think it is normal that people with a demanding job who keep the Netherlands mobile 24/7 do not reach the finish line in good health. They become chronically ill more quickly, become incapacitated for work and even die much faster than employees without a heavy occupation. And the government is failing them.”
Now that it is clear which parties will form the new cabinet and the platform scene is planned for tomorrow, the public transport sector is also making itself heard. The first actions have already been planned: On Tuesday, September 10, there will be short work stoppages in urban transport, including HTM, GVB and RET. On Wednesday, September 11, NS staff will not start work until 8 am. On Thursday, September 12, there will be actions in regional transport from the start of the service.
“We are still starting mildly in public transport. But if the government continues to fail after this, more robust actions will be organized by public transport staff in October.”
The sector is aware of the inconvenience that these actions will cause for travelers. The public transport employees regret this, but also count on the public's understanding. Edwin Kuiper, director of FNV Regional Transport, states: “To date, the government has not fulfilled its agreements to arrive at a structural arrangement. In many sectors where 'heavy work' is involved, there is great enthusiasm for taking action. Our members do this not only for a settlement for themselves, but also for all other employees who work under aggravating circumstances.”
The strikes in public transport are a response to the lack of concrete measures from the government to provide a sustainable and fair arrangement for employees with heavy occupations. These employees demand recognition of the physical and mental strain that their work entails and ask for a scheme that allows them to retire earlier without financial disadvantages.
The conflict over the heavy work regulations has been a hot topic in Dutch politics and the labor market for some time. The current scheme, which expires in 2025, states that employees in heavy professions can stop working earlier, but there is no successor to this scheme yet. The FNV union and public transport employees hope that their actions will increase pressure on politicians to find a solution.
With Budget Day approaching, when the government presents its plans for the coming year, public transport employees hope that their message will be heard loud and clear. The strikes serve not only as a signal to the government, but also as a call to society to show solidarity with the workers who keep the country mobile every day under often difficult conditions.
It remains to be seen whether the government will respond to this call and what steps will be taken to find a sustainable solution to the heavy work problem. Until then, public transport workers are ready to continue their actions, determined to stand up for their rights and those of their colleagues in other demanding professions.
