On the fourth day of the ‘strike relay’ by NS personnel, no trains will be running in almost all of the Netherlands. It is the turn of the Central Netherlands region on Tuesday. Because this also includes the important Utrecht Central rail junction, the regional strike has far-reaching consequences for the rest of the country. Only trains will run between Amsterdam Central and Schiphol Airport on Tuesdays. The NS advises travelers to postpone their journey or to look for alternative transport.
Utrecht Central is essential for the Dutch rail network. Many train routes start or end at this station, or pass it by. The Eurostar (to London) and Thalys (to Paris) will run on Tuesday, but that does not apply to the other international trains in the Netherlands. Regional train operators — such as Arriva, Qbuzz or Keolis — will continue to operate, with the exception of the R-net train service between Alphen aan den Rijn and Gouda.
NS staff are on strike for the fourth day on Tuesday due to broken collective labor agreements. With a strike relay, employees in each region take turns laying down their work. The railway unions demand, among other things, that wages be increased and the workload reduced. The NS says it cannot afford this because it is struggling with lower income due to the low number of travelers. If the conflict is not resolved, there will be a nationwide strike, the trade unions FNV, CNV and VVMC have said.
Approach
On Tuesday, the politicians again called on the NS and the railway unions to seek rapprochement. “The impact of the NS strike today is extremely annoying for all train passengers”, tweeted State Secretary Vivianne Heijnen (Infrastructure and Water Management, CDA). “I have previously called on unions and NS to find a solution together and in the interest of the traveler I am now making that call again.”
However, a solution still seems far away. According to the FNV, the NS has not sought rapprochement since the ultimatum issued by the unions expired more than two weeks ago. “There is no negotiation now,” says an FNV spokesperson NRC. “But the ball is in the court’s court. Apparently that realization has not yet sunk in the management.” The NS was not immediately available on Tuesday morning to respond to this.