Dutch railway workers strike as pay talks fail
Aug 26, 2022
The Hague [Netherlands], August 26: Employees of the Dutch Railways (NS) have gone on strike in parts of the Netherlands, after talks over pay conditions broke down.
In the northern provinces of Friesland, Groningen, Drenthe and parts of Flevoland and Overijssel, no trains were running on Wednesday between 4 a.m. and 4 p.m. Another 24-hour strike is scheduled for Friday in the west of the Netherlands.
The unions have announced that a nationwide strike will follow in September if the NS does not comply with their demands.
National railway employees opted to go on strike after collective labor agreement negotiations with the company broke down last Friday. The unions asked for a one-off payment of 600 euros (600 U.S. dollars), and a permanent monthly salary increase of 100 euros.
The NS said in a statement that it understood its employees' concerns about their financial situation. However, it added "At the same time, as a company, we are dealing with a tight labor market, rising prices and lagging passenger numbers." (1 euro = 1.00 U.S. dollars).
Source: Xinhua
