Regional transportation strike could be more disruptive; Second union issues ultimatum

Trade unions CNV and FNV are threatening to launch a nationwide strike in regional public transport that will last five days. The strike will happen from Monday, February 6, if the employers association VWOV does not respond to an ultimatum issued by the trade union CNV on Wednesday.

The ultimatum and strike involve the larger collective bargaining agreement in regional transport, which covers around 13,000 employees, mainly bus drivers. CNV set several demands, including a “solid wage increase, a good scheme for the elderly, and an approach to the high workload.” According to the union, it’s made various proposals to deal with the high workload, including extra time for consuming a hot meal during a late shift. “Normal proposals to make work better. But the employers put everything off the table and do not come up with better solutions,” said CNV negotiator Hanane Chikhi.

The association of public transport employers VWOV called the ultimatum and threatened strike “incomprehensible.” According to a spokesperson, VWOV will not negotiate with the unions based on this threat. “Disrupting public transport with a package of 11 percent on the table is inexplicable to our employees and travelers. We are considering and will come up with a further response on Thursday,” the spokesperson said.

The union announced Tuesday evening that it would send an ultimatum to employers. That decision followed member consultations held on Monday and Tuesday.

FNV and CNV are working together in the labor actions, said a spokesperson for the FNV. Last week, FNV already held a strike to enforce better working conditions, resulting in about 40 percent of public transport not running on Thursday and Friday. CNV did not participate in that strike.

Employees under the smaller collective labor agreement in regional transport will also soon go on strike again, trade union VVMC reported on Tuesday. The Multimodal labor agreement covers 1,300 employees, mostly train staff for regional transport companies like Arriva and Keolis. The unions have already held talks with employers, but the wage offer that followed was “still too low,” a spokesperson for VVMC said. It is not yet known when these strikes will happen, but according to the union, they will hit several regions simultaneously.