Bus passengers will also be killed next week due to strikes in public transport: bus drivers will stop working, as a result of which a large number of buses will not run. This is what the FNV union has announced. The bus drivers are also demanding a better collective labor agreement.
The exact details of the strike are not yet known. The FNV will release information this week. According to Fred Redlich, bus driver at Connexxion in Alkmaar, a national relay strike will start from next Tuesday. The strikes are a follow-up to last May and June, when regional transporters also stopped work.
No buses in the province
A day later, regional transport in North Holland is shut down, Redlich expects. He thinks that at least half of the buses will not be running. After the relay strikes ‘the whole country will be flat’. The impact for travelers will therefore be large, according to Redlich.
The drivers demand a better collective labor agreement. The workload is increasing due to staff shortages, but there is no compensation for this. One of the most important requirements is automatic price compensation, says Redlich. “Everything is becoming more expensive, and we are only going backwards”, the driver declares audibly irritated.
Trade union CNV did sign a new collective labor agreement in July, but FNV demanded better conditions for the drivers. In addition to financial compensation, better working conditions are also demanded. “You can’t take a bathroom break yet,” says Redlich.
Call on the bus
Although FNV has yet to announce the official plans, the strike in North Holland has already been announced in at least one bus. “There are no trains this week, no buses next week,” an observant passenger heard.