3 weeks Ago
It is the fourth strike by NS personnel since June 6. "We regret very much that our travellers have to face this again," said NS CEO Wouter Koolmees. "The fact that they had to ground the plane and actually do inspections, it's really a shame that travellers are once again the ones that are paying the price."
Unions Demand Fatter Paychecks, Early Retirement Option
The strike will continue for 24 hours and begin at 04:00 GMT. The FNV union declared on Monday there had been insufficient progress in the collective bargaining negotiations to call off the strike. FNV calls for a 7% increase in the average wage, and for employees who have physically laborious jobs, earlier retirement possibility.
NS had adjusted its offer slightly – a 3.25% wage increase from March 1 this year and 2.75% next year. But union leaders dismissed the new offer and walked away from the bargaining table.
NS Financial Restrictions Compound Situation
Koolmees voiced concern about the deepening impasse: "Unions are standing firm on their demands. This is ridiculous, it gets us nowhere." He said: 'NS has suffered losses over the last five years, it cannot afford loss-making contracts. NS has said it is preparing a final offer to resolve the issues, but that it will face hurdles.
The last group labour contract expired on March 1. It had given average raises of 6.6%. Though there were heated negotiations, there were no strikes. By contrast, the 2022 labour dispute led to wage hikes of more than 9% after extensive strikes.
