Train passengers and carriers may experience a great deal of inconvenience from Wednesday to Saturday due to actions by the FNV Spoor trade union. The union is taking action because no agreement has yet been reached with railway manager ProRail on a new collective labor agreement.
According to FNV Spoor, the promotions will be conducted from Wednesday to Friday from 06.00 a.m. to 08.00 a.m. Train traffic can only be started after that time and that takes time, says ProRail. That is why the company expects that train traffic will be disrupted during those three days until at least 10.00 a.m.
The actions at air traffic controllers' posts are carried out per region, which means that fewer or no trains can run in certain regions and beyond. On Wednesday, travelers will particularly notice the major impact of the campaigns in the regions of Utrecht, Amsterdam and Alkmaar. Thursday is in the regions of The Hague, Rotterdam, Dordrecht and Roosendaal, and Friday in the regions of Eindhoven, Maastricht, Arnhem, Zwolle and Groningen. ProRail advises to consult a travel planner on these days before departure for current travel information.
FNV has planned a nationwide 1-hour strike on Saturday 24 May, starting at 05.00 a.m. If this national action continues, there will be no train traffic throughout the country all day long, says ProRail.
After months of joint consultation between CNV Vakmensen, VHS Rail professionals and FNV Spoor, ProRail made a final offer to the three unions on 1 March. Members of CNV and VHS agreed. These unions did set additional requirements for the 'Early retirement scheme' from the final offer. FNV's supporters rejected the offer, after which the association issued an ultimatum to ProRail. ProRail rejected that ultimatum. There is, among other things, disagreement about the term of the collective labor agreement and the percentage wage increase.
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