Dutch railway unions approve labor deal, ending months of rail strikes

Dutch railway unions have reached a final labor agreement with Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS), putting an end to months of strikes that disrupted train service across the country.

The new collective labor agreement runs from March 1, 2025, through March 1, 2027. Wages will rise 4 percent retroactively from March 1 this year, followed by another 3.5 percent increase in 2026. Higher pay scales will receive an additional 3 percent raise. The agreement also includes a heavy-work scheme that allows some employees to retire earlier under certain conditions.

According to RTL, the deal became definitive after members of the Union for Train Drivers and Conductors (VVMC) voted in favor. Eighty-four percent supported the contract, the union announced. “With this clear mandate, VVMC can move forward toward completing the collective labor agreement negotiations and will now speak with NS to formalize the result into a CAO agreement,” the union said.

Earlier this week, the FNV union also backed the deal, with 89 percent of its members voting in favor. With both unions on board, NS workers will not continue the strikes that halted service in several regions in recent months. The first nationwide strike in June left no NS trains running anywhere in the Netherlands.

“We are proud of this result and of the outcome. This means that there is strong backing among our members for this collective agreement,” FNV official Henri Janssen said. “It is now important that NS quickly starts the implementation.”

The agreement had already been preliminarily signed last month but only became binding after union members approved it. NS described the outcome as restoration of stability.