Unions stage rush-hour transport strike against welfare cuts

A three-hour strike by public transport workers is set to hit commuters travelling to work on Wednesday morning.

Train, bus, tram and metro staff will start work at 8am, leading to the cancellation of early morning services across the country.

Train operator NS expects normal services will not resume fully until around midday. Train cleaners are also holding an all-day strike, so trains that are running will not be cleaned until Thursday.

Commuters who are directly affected by the strike will not be eligible for refunds because the stoppage is not running for the whole day, but compensation for delayed services will still apply.

The airport shuttle between Amsterdam and Schiphol airport will still run, as will Eurostar trains to London and Paris, but the Eurocity Direct and ICE cross-border trains will not, NS said.

More strikes loom

The FNV union called the strike to protest against the Dutch government’s plans to raise the retirement age faster and make €6.8 billion of cuts to social security.

Social affairs minister Hans Vijlbrief has since scrapped the proposal to extend the retirement age in step with projected life expectancy, which unions said was a betrayal of a previous agreement to increase it by eight months for every extra year.

But Vijlbrief has so far refused to reverse other plans such as shortening the term for unemployment pay and reducing incapacity benefits, or the total savings target of €6.8 billion.

FNV railways officer Henri Janssen has warned the cabinet to expect further strikes if it does not change its mind. The left-wing opposition PRO also said it needed to see major concessions from the minority cabinet, which is 10 seats short of a majority in parliament.

“We expect the cabinet to take our warnings seriously,” Janssen told WNL. “If these plans are not taken off the table we absolutely will not rule out more strikes after the summer. The most likely option is a 24-hour strike.”