New strike in regional transport: fewer buses and trains on Thursday

Regional transport workers are planning another strike this Thursday, resulting in reduced bus and train services across the country. This follows an initial walkout last week that significantly disrupted transit operations, with the FNV union reporting that approximately 90 percent of buses were inactive during that period. Unions have committed to staging weekly strikes until Christmas unless a new collective labor agreement is reached, promising to provide at least 48 hours notice before each action.

Negotiations for a new contract have been stalled since July. Unions are demanding better work-life balance and more control over schedules, while employers cite financial constraints and the high costs of public transit as reasons they cannot meet these demands. The ongoing labor dispute affects roughly thirteen thousand employees working for companies like EBS, Qbuzz, Keolis, and Arriva. While regional services are heavily impacted, the specific collective labor agreement does not apply to municipal transport systems in major cities like Amsterdam.