This coming Wednesday, June 24, a national strike will take place in the public transport sector in the Netherlands. This action, organized by the trade unions FNV and CNV, will structurally affect the departure schedules of trains, buses, trams, and metros, and will be felt throughout the entire day.
Amsterdam’s public transport company, GVB, has confirmed that they will also participate in the strike. This means that their metro, tram, and bus services will not start running before 08:00 AM. GVB has issued a serious warning to commuters, indicating that this late start will have a knock-on effect that could disrupt service for the rest of the day. Only the ferry services will continue to operate normally.
Reason for the Strike: “The Cabinet Is Not Listening”
The main reason for this disruption is the Dutch cabinet’s plans to make budget cuts (bezuinigingen) to the social security system. According to the FNV and CNV unions, the government is not honoring previously agreed-upon arrangements regarding the old-age pension (AOW). In addition, the government wants to cut the duration of unemployment benefits (WW) and is worsening the conditions of the work disability law (WIA). The consequence of this is that employees will have to work for more years and will lose financial security if they fall ill or lose their jobs.
The unions had issued an ultimatum until May 25 for these plans to be canceled. Since the government did not respond to this demand, the first strike has been scheduled for June 24.
“The cabinet refuses to listen to the concerns of the working class,” declared Edwin Kuiper, director of FNV Vervoer. “We are not doing this just for public transport workers, but for all Dutch citizens who depend on good social security.”
This Is Just a Warning: Larger Actions May Follow
The union warned that this Wednesday’s strike is just the first step (a “pinprick”). If the cabinet does not come up with a concrete solution or promise after the late-summer holiday period, the unions will organize much larger actions.
Kuiper emphasized that in that case, one should expect strikes that will last a full 24 hours, which would paralyze the country.
Tip: If you need to use public transport early in the morning on Wednesday, June 24, look for alternative transport or postpone your trip until after 08:00 AM, keeping in mind that delays may last all day.