Universities warn students that exams will continue on Friday despite NS strike

Education institutions have warned students of the effects of the NS strike on Friday. Classes and exams will continue despite the strike, various universities have reported. Radboud University in Nijmegen, Fontys University of Applied Sciences, with schools in the south of the country, and the VU in Amsterdam are among the institutions advising students to arrange alternative means of transport if they need to be at the location.

On Friday, there will be no NS trains throughout the country, except for the Schiphol-Amsterdam route. This is due to a strike by NS employees in the central part of the Netherlands, where the train schedule is managed. The strike has been organized by the trade union FNV, who are pushing for a higher salary increase for NS workers in the new Collective Bargaining Agreement.

“Our advice is, if possible, to work from home on the days that your region is impacted by the strikes,” the VU added to their statement.

Any exams scheduled for Friday will not be postponed. “The exams will continue as scheduled,” Tilburg University stated. Radboud University is offering free parking on Friday. Fontys is advising any students who are struggling to get to their university on Friday to discuss this with their academic coach or teacher.

All court hearings scheduled for Friday are also set to continue as planned unless a court informs the relevant parties otherwise, Rechtspraak reported. Anyone unable to get to the court is advised to get in contact with the court in question. They can then request that they participate in the hearing online, or the hearing is delayed. The presiding judge would then decide on this request.

Regarding employees that have to work on location, expert Pascal Besselink told ANP what he would advise them to do. “Employees that cannot work from home and do not have an alternative option of transport should discuss the situation with their supervisor. The employer is not obligated to pay the salary if an employee is not able to work due to the strike.”

Besselink said that a conversation between an employee and an employer on the subject could have various outcomes. “The employee can take a vacation day or make up for the missed hours at another time. Employees should not wait until the strike day itself. By consulting with the employer in time, they can find a solution that is acceptable to both parties.”