Public transport workers go on hour-long strike on Monday

NS and municipal public transport personnel will go on an hour-long strike on Monday morning in bid to freeze the pension age in the sector at 66, unions have announced.

The strike will take place from 6am and will last exactly 66 minutes, in a reference to the preferred pension age. Workers in the building sector and cleaners are also expected to join in the strike action.

Many of the people who work in these sectors work irregular hours, rail workers union VVMC said. ‘Our workers have problems getting to the pension finishing line with their health intact. It is very important to them that the pension age doesn’t go up,’ a spokesperson told broadcaster NOS.

‘Some people who start early will be late for work,’ FNV union official Henri Janssen told the broadcaster, ‘but we want to give this signal now so we can prevent everybody from having to work longer. This is about a decent and timely pension for all.’

NS said it is expecting some disruption but said it could not predict what the consequences will be for the morning rush hour.

Transport users organisation Rover has said the strike action is ‘not proportional’ because the early start of the action means it will have consequences for the schedule throughout the day.

Strike action has been planned in Alkmaar, Amsterdam, Arnhem, The Hague, Den Helder, Enkhuizen, Enschede, Eindhoven, Heerlen, Hengelo, Hoorn, Maastricht, Rotterdam, Utrecht and Zwolle.