Tax office, DUO less accessible today as civil servants strike for wage increase
Civil servants across the country are on strike today because they will not receive a wage increase this year. Due to the strike, many government agencies, such as the Tax Authority and the Education Executive Agency (DUO), will be closed or less accessible.
The Tax Authority, which opened tax return season on Sunday, said that the Tax Information Line will remain available during the strike, but waiting times may be longer, NU.nl reported. It’s also possible that an appointment at the Tax Authority will be canceled. If that happens, people can choose between having a call or rescheduling.
The strike is the next step in a dispute between the government and the trade unions in the collective bargaining agreement for civil servants. Government officials will not receive a salary increase or inflation adjustment this year, resulting in them facing a decline in purchasing power. And that is unacceptable, trade union FNV said.
“Civil servants are the people who keep the Netherlands running every day,” FNV official Marcelle Buitendam said. “They ensure safe roads, guard our prisons, control our borders, and ensure that benefits, allowances, and permits are processed. And what do they get for this? Stank voor dank.”
Stank voor dank is a Dutch expression meaning that you receive ingratitude in return for doing something good. The English equivalent often used is “no good deed goes unpunished,” though it doesn’t quite capture the essence of the expression, which literally translates to “stench for thanks.”
In addition to the strike, some civil servants will gather in The Hague for a protest on Tuesday. The protest is on Koekamp from 11:00 a.m. FNV expects over a thousand civil servants to attend.
The central government employs over 165,000 people. According to Buitendam, “if the government remains stubborn,” the trade unions will take more action.
