Bus drivers who take passengers to aircraft at Schiphol Airport to strike on Wednesday

The drivers of the Arriva touring buses that take passengers between Schiphol Airport terminals and aircraft will go on strike on Wednesday for a better collective labor agreement. The brief strike will take place between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., said labor union FNV.

Schiphol announced that it does not expect any nuisance as a result. The airport said that agreements were made with the FNV to prevent passenger flows from being hindered. However, FNV denied that and said they believe more than half of the bus drivers who work on Wednesday will go on strike. "Precisely because the workload at Schiphol is so high, the willingness to take action is enormous. If Schiphol does not want any nuisance, they will have to take measures themselves."

The strike at Schiphol is a follow-up to previous actions in the touring bus sector, including a national demonstration at Ede-Wageningen train station last month. Trade unions and employers have been discussing a new collective agreement for drivers providing private bus transportation for months.

"Among other things, the drivers want a salary increase of 100 euros gross per month and that wages from now on rise in line with the prices in the shops. They also want all services to be paid 100 percent," said FNV director Lutz Kressin in a statement. "Now there are six-hour shifts, but the drivers only get paid for five. That is really out of date."

The drivers also want their working days capped at no more than twelve hours, and that the contract hours be adjusted in case of structural overtime. About 3,000 people work in the coach sector, but the work pressure is high due to the large staff shortage. According to FNV, a fair and attractive collective labor agreement is the only solution to this problem.

"Then it will be interesting again for new drivers to come and work in the sector and for existing drivers to stay," says Kressin.