Tuesday strike to halt rail service in Rotterdam, The Hague & southwest Netherlands
Nearly all trains in the southwest of the Netherlands will be cancelled on Tuesday as the result of the second rail strike in a series of actions organized by the FNV and VVMC labor unions. The regional strike was called for the west of the Netherlands, but the impact forced national railway NS to pre-emptively cancel trains in a wider area including "the vast majority" of Zuid-Holland, Zeeland and the western portion of Noord-Brabant.
The region includes Rotterdam, The Hague, Leiden, Breda, Roosendaal, and Middelburg, among other municipalities, according to the updated schedule provided by the national railway. "This strike will have a major impact on travellers in this region," the NS wrote in a statement.
It is not yet clear how many trains will continue to operate between Schiphol Airport and Rotterdam Centraal. International trains will run, but more cancellations are expected to hit the Eurocity Direct connecting Lelystad, Amsterdam, and Rotterdam with Antwerp and Brussels. The shorter EuroCity route between Rotterdam, Antwerp and Brussels may also be affected, according to news service ANP.
The date is also when a major protest against education funding cuts is slated to take place in Amsterdam. Initially, demonstration organizers planned to hold the event in The Hague, like in November, but they announced a few days ago that it would instead take place in the capital. Some 20,000 people gathered on the Malieveld in The Hague for the rally late last year.
"The NS has adjusted the timetable to offer passengers outside the strike region a reliable and safe journey. This allows us to run almost all trains in the rest of the country," the NS wrote in a statement. That said, passengers were advised to check the status of their trains before going to rail stations.
A strike in the central region of the Netherlands on Friday led to the cancellation of nearly all NS trains nationwide. The Midden-Nederland region is home to operations staff in Utrecht, and is a major hub for rail service. Utrecht Centraal is also the busiest train station in the country by passenger volume.
Another regional rail strike is set for Thursday in the northwestern region, which will affect the greater Amsterdam region, the rest of Noord-Holland, and Lelystad. Workers will also strike that day in the east of the country, including Gelderland and parts of Overijssel. A fourth strike on June 16 will hit the north and south of the country, including Flevoland, Friesland, Groningen, Limburg, Noord-Brabant and Zwolle.
"There may be a nationwide strike on Tuesday, June 17. More information will follow as soon as it is known," the NS said.
The national railway promised a 2.55 percent wage increase in their last offer. NS staff received an average pay hike of 9 percent in 2022, and 6.6 percent in the contract that ended on March 1. However, the labor unions claim wages still have yet to meet the rate of inflation since 2019.
The unions want an average pay increase of 4 percent retroactive to March 1, a bonus one-time payment of 120 euros, another 4 percent increase on March 1, 2026, and another 120 euro bonus payment that date. "All benefits and allowances should be increased by 7 percent at these two times. We also propose to increase the December bonus in two steps to 8.33% and also to increase the holiday allowance to 8.33%," the FNV said.
