Drivers strike; no bread in shops

Shoppers looking for bread in the North and East of the country came upon empty shelves Friday morning as a small group of drivers are on strike. There are also protests at several distribution centers. According to press bureau Novum, the strikers work with transport company Peter Appel. In protest, the drivers started their rounds at 3 a.m. in the night, which the union bond FNV says is "much later than normal", so that the bread would also be supplied later than planned.

The drivers are on strike because of a new collective labour agreement (cao). They have been in a struggle with the employment organization TLN since last month, and are demanding a pay increase of three percent, and more input in working hours and schooling. As well as the strike against bread transport, there are also blockades at distribution centers in Beilen and Zwollen. It is mainly the Coop and the C1000 shops that are affected by this strike. It is expected that the last shop to be supplied with bread will be at 12:00 in the afternoon. The delay from Friday morning will also affect other supplies.