Rotterdam dockworkers suspend strike after collective labor agreement is reached

Rotterdam dockworkers have called off their strike after the FNV union and port companies ILS and Matrans reached a tentative agreement on a new collective labor agreement on Thursday. FNV representative Niek Stam said workers were pleased with the deal. Union members are expected to vote on the agreement in the coming weeks.

The strike, which began last week, had a major impact on the port, as container ships were unable to load or unload because of the work stoppage. Some port companies deemed the impact so serious that they took the matter to court in an effort to halt the strike. The court ruled in the port companies' favor, ordering the strike to be suspended from Monday morning until Friday morning.

Stam said he was pleased with the outcome, noting that roughly 85 percent of Matrans dockworkers and about 70 percent of those at ILS voted in favor of suspending the strike.

The companies and FNV have agreed that dockworkers’ wages will increase by between 17 and 20 percent over three years, Stam announced on Thursday. This includes the automatic inflation compensation customary for port workers for 2025 and 2026. In addition, two funds will be established to improve working conditions.

Deltalinqs, the business association, estimated that the previous five-day strike resulted in losses totaling tens of millions of euros.

The union members now have three weeks to vote on the new terms.