FNV confirms 24-hour rail strike Tuesday after NS talks stall

Train services in Noord-Holland, Flevoland, Gelderland, and much of Overijssel will come to a standstill on Tuesday as railway workers in the Oost and Noordwest regions stage a 24-hour strike, Dutch rail operator NS confirmed. The walkout begins at 4 a.m. and is set to continue until 3:59 a.m. Wednesday.

NS said it had adjusted its timetable to keep as many trains running as possible in other parts of the country, but warned that Tuesday’s strike could still have nationwide consequences.

NS said it was “deeply disappointed” that passengers are once again bearing the brunt of the labor conflict. “We would have preferred a different outcome, and I think it’s awful that our passengers are once again the victims of this,” said NS CEO Wouter Koolmees.

The strike was confirmed on Monday after FNV announced that talks with NS had broken down again. According to the union, NS “isn’t meeting us halfway” in the ongoing contract talks.

On Friday, NS slightly raised its previous wage offer, proposing a 3.25 percent raise effective March 1, 2025, up from 2.55 percent. The proposal also includes a second raise of 2.75 percent on March 1, 2026. NS said the package was designed to address inflation concerns — a central demand of the union.

However, FNV dismissed the revised offer as insufficient. “What NS put on the table Friday is nothing more than a shameless repeat of earlier proposals,” said FNV Rail Union official Henri Janssen. “They come with crumbs and expect us to stop striking. That shows a lack of respect for their own workers.”

FNV is demanding a 7 percent annual wage increase, as well as a broader agreement to protect purchasing power and allow employees in physically demanding jobs to retire earlier. The union also wants automatic wage indexation tied to inflation and improved employment rights for all staff.

Janssen said the union had reserved the entire day Monday for negotiations, but NS only offered two hours. “We made every effort,” he said in a statement. “But if NS says they want to talk, then shows up with nothing new and won’t even make time — then that’s it.”

The current NS collective labor agreement expired on March 1 and covers about 17,500 workers. Under the previous agreement, employees received an average pay increase of 6.6 percent without any strikes. In 2022, strikes led to a 9 percent salary hike.

Janssen emphasized that a strong labor agreement benefits not just NS employees, but passengers as well. “When you treat your people well, you deliver reliable service,” he said in a press release.

He added that many new hires leave NS shortly after completing their training due to low starting wages and long waits to reach the top pay scale. “It takes 20 years to reach the highest wage tier, and in the meantime, workers are dealing with heavy schedules and frequent weekend shifts,” he said.

Koolmees expressed frustration that the union is sticking to its original demands. “The unions that are striking again tomorrow are holding firm to their initial demands,” he said. “That way, we won’t reach an agreement.”

He warned that if no compromise is found, service disruptions are likely to continue. Janssen echoed that concern, saying that nationwide strikes remain on the table if NS does not meet the union’s expectations following Tuesday’s walkout.