Politicians are not very concerned about the strike wave, while many people in our region are affected by it. And it’s really about something.
Regional transport has been on strike for weeks and actions in hospitals are planned. Public transport in the North is particularly affected. Particularly annoying for those who depend on the bus, the trains in Groningen and Drenthe and who are waiting for medical treatment.
The subject hardly plays a role in the election campaign, while these strikes are also about government policy. After all, public transport companies and hospitals are forced to compete with each other, which means they can hardly afford to pay their staff better.
Wages in the Netherlands have been lagging behind profits and price increases for a number of years now. Despite some gratuitous remarks from Prime Minister Rutte and President of the Dutch Central Bank Klaas Knot that wages really need to go up, companies and institutions are not naturally inclined to really increase salaries.
The profits of many companies have recently risen sharply, but employees benefit less than shareholders. Apparently strikes are really needed to change that. But in the Netherlands, very few people are members of a trade union. In the national polder consultations between unions and employers, no agreements are made to raise wages either.
The fact that many politicians apparently shrug their shoulders at this is worrying, because part of the dissatisfaction in society is due to those low wages. More and more people are unable to pay their energy bills and groceries.
It just doesn’t really get through to the better-paid part of the population. The Social Cultural Planning Office stated last week that there are major differences between the various classes in the Netherlands. It is precisely the lower-paid and students who depend on bus and train who have had difficulty getting to school or work for weeks due to the strikes. The reaction of many politicians that this is a matter between employers and employees, and that there is nothing they can do about it, is too easy.