Rail unions threaten Tuesday strike if talks with NS fail

Rail union VVMC has announced a new strike for Tuesday involving Dutch Railways (NS) employees in the northwest and east of the Netherlands, including the Amsterdam and Schiphol regions, NOS reports. It would mark the fourth strike this month as unions continue to press for higher wages and improved working conditions for approximately 17,500 NS workers.

The largest rail union, VVMC, confirmed the planned work stoppage Sunday. The walkout could still be canceled if labor talks scheduled for Monday result in an offer acceptable to the unions.

VVMC, along with unions FNV and CNV, began their strike actions last week in response to stalled collective labor agreement negotiations. The unions are demanding a 6 percent wage increase and improved employment conditions.

NS initially offered a 2.55 percent wage increase, which it raised on Friday—during the third strike action—to 3.25 percent. In addition, the company proposed a further 2.75 percent raise effective March 1, 2026.

VVMC said Friday that it was reviewing the updated proposal but was not impressed. FNV said it was open to continued dialogue with NS but warned that further strikes remained on the table.

CNV, in contrast, pledged on Saturday not to strike until at least Wednesday and confirmed it would participate in Monday's talks. The unions also said there would be no strike on Monday under any circumstances.