Unions cancel Thursday's rail strike; Hope to cause unrest at NS with late decision

The strikes that were scheduled for Thursday amongst railway staff in the Noord-Holland and Oost-Nederland region will not be taking place, the NS has said. The union CNV have said that they did this deliberately to cause unrest within the NS.

“The unions had said in the media that they were preparing a 24-hour strike for Thursday, June 12. At this moment, the NS has not received an official declaration, and the minimal legal notice period prior to a strike starting is 36 hours, so the strike will not take place,” the NS reported.

The time schedule for Thursday had already been altered, with the NS anticipating the strike. The railway company will now have to change the schedule once more. There will be fewer trains running in Noord-Holland and Oost-Nederland, the NS reported.

NS advises travellers in Noord-Holland and Oost-Nederland to expect busier trains and an adjusted timetable. The Journey Planner will be updated on Wednesday. Travellers are advised to consult the NS Journey Planner shortly before departure or to activate notifications in the NS app. International trains to and from the Netherlands will run according to regular timetables.

Henk Jongsma, a negotiator for the union CNV, told ANP that the cancelation of the strike was a deliberate choice to cause unrest within the NS. The unions had already heard that the railway company had come up with an alternative schedule for Thursday.

By not striking, the unions hope to bring more unrest to the company in the hope of making sure that the employer listens to their demands for a higher salary increase in the negotiations for a new Collective Labor Agreement.

No trains were running throughout the country on Tuesday due to a strike by NS staff. This was also the case on Friday.