Thousands of pharmacies to close across the Netherlands on Thursday and Friday
Pharmacy workers across the Netherlands will start a two-day strike on Thursday, forcing the closure of thousands of pharmacies. The strike for retroactive and future pay raises was called by labor unions FNV and CNV after talks for a new collective bargaining agreement failed. Patients will face further inconvenience as many pharmacies remain closed on the weekends.
The unions had initially planned the labor action during the week of Christmas, which would have effectively kept pharmacies closed for that entire week, and the weekends before and after. Such an impactful shutdown, lasting nine days in total, was blocked by a court order for potentially putting patients at risk.
This week's strike will not affect the after-hours pharmacies, which will remain accessible for emergency prescriptions. In some cases, those urgently needing certain refills may have to call their family physician first so the pharmacy is aware of the acute situation.
However, there may be more costs involved with prescriptions filled by such a pharmacy, known as a dienstapotheek. They are allowed to charge up to 85 euros more per medication when a prescription is not covered by the basic health insurance package to help cover the higher costs of after-hours care.
Workers want a minimum raise of 6 percent retroactive to July 1, and a minimum wage of 16 euros per hour. They also want to be fully compensated for all working hours, including preparation time before doors open. Employers argued that health insurance payouts and government policy have made it impossible to meet the workers' demands. They countered with a 2 percent wage increase from July 1, 2024, and a 5 percent pay hike from July 1, 2025.
There were no plans announced for a nationwide demonstration by the striking workers this week, such as the gathering of thousands of pharmacy workers in The Hague during the strike on November 12, the first national strike in the sector's history. A series of regional strikes lasting from a few hours to a full day were organized after the summer of 2024.
