Tour bus workers to go on strike as labor talks stall

Trade union FNV is preparing labor actions at tour coach companies. Negotiations for a collective bargaining agreement have come to a deadlock, and the coach companies did not respond to the union’s ultimatum to make an acceptable offer by noon on Monday, FNV director Lutz Kressin said to RTL Nieuws.

“We have not heard anything from employers. We are now considering how we will shape the labor actions.” According to Kressin, it will start with “playful actions” in places where many buses gather, followed by a nationwide strike on October 26.

The coach companies made a final offer before the summer. FNV Toer rejected it, demanding a 5 percent wage increase and 100 euros gross per month. The coach drivers also want their workdays to be no longer than 12 hours and their contacts to be adjusted if there is structural overtime.

Trade union CNV also wants employees to get a travel allowance to cover the high fuel costs for their commute.

While the coach sector is relatively small, it is essential as the “lubricant of passenger transport,” FNV said. Coaches are used as replacement transport if trains fail, for school trips, and for holiday tours. About 4,000 people work in the sector.