Unions announce new train strikes against welfare cuts

The FNV trade union has announced a new wave of strikes for the first two weeks of September, including a likely 24-hour walkout on the railways, in its continuing protest against government cuts to social security.

The action will be bigger than June’s stoppage, chairman Hans Spekman said on Thursday evening, according to broadcaster NOS. Workers in the ports and the public sector are also due to walk out, while healthcare staff will take action but stop short of striking, to avoid affecting patients.

No exact date has been set. The union is protesting against plans to shorten unemployment benefits and reduce payments for the long-term sick, which Spekman said the cabinet has refused to soften.