Regional bus drivers strike for a better collective labor agreement

In Hengelo, Haaksbergen, Enschede and Tilburg, some of the bus drivers in regional transport have stopped working. It is the second strike in a national series to enforce a better collective labor agreement, and will last for 24 hours.

FNV Streekvervoer says that there has been increasing work pressure in the sector for some time, partly caused by a shortage of personnel. The union is demanding a higher pay in order to attract more young drivers, among other things. The first relay strike in regional transport started on Wednesday with about a hundred strikers in the northeast of the country.

Transport company Keolis, which is active in Gelderland, Overijssel, Utrecht and Almere, had previously advised its travelers to arrange other types of transport on Saturday. According to a spokesperson, the demonstration in Hengelo, Haaksbergen and Enschede is "quiet and in a good atmosphere." She estimates that about half of the drivers in those three locations have stopped working.

CNV Vakmensen is not participating in the strike action. The union presented the employers' final offer to members in a neutral manner in February. According to the union, they have accepted it with a two-thirds majority.

According to the FNV, a total of about 13,000 people work in regional transport.