Dutch rail union expands Tuesday strike to entire Randstad
The Netherlands’ largest rail union, VVMC, has expanded the strike planned for Tuesday to cover the entire Randstad region, including the newly added Noord-West area, NOS reports.
VVMC stated that since the last strike, the Dutch national railway operator NS “has not taken a single step toward better wages and working conditions.” The union emphasized the extension of the strike area beyond the previously announced regions of Zuid-Holland, Zeeland, and parts of West-Brabant, now including Noord-West as well. In response, NS said it is currently assessing the impact of the strike expansion on its train schedules.
The strike is reportedly a direct result of stalled collective labor agreement (CAO) negotiations. The unions criticize the wage increase offered by NS as insufficient and are also demanding improved working conditions.
On Friday, nearly no NS trains operated nationwide, except for sprinters running between Amsterdam and Schiphol in both directions. VVMC said the lack of progress from NS forces the union to resume striking.
"We ask travelers for their understanding and call on NS to come with a serious and honest proposal,” said VVMC board member Wim Eilert.
According to VVMC, the strike will affect all NS employees, including office staff, train operators, and non-operational personnel working on the platforms.
