Wave of strikes hits public transport

Download article in original language : NL9805179NNL.DOC

In May 1998, a series of strikes hit both regional bus transport companies and the railways in the Netherlands. They were organised in protest at proposed plans for restructuring.

On 8 May 1998, a four-hour "wildcat" strike brought regional transport in the north-eastern part of the Netherlands to a grinding halt. At 05.00, mechanics employed by VEONN blocked the exits of coach depots, trapping the buses inside. The aim of the strike was to stop the transfer of the VEONN maintenance department to a national subsidiary of VSN (Verenigd Streekvervoer Nederland), the holding company of almost all regional transport companies in the Netherlands. The strikes were not supported by the trade unions, and the central works council at VEONN had even agreed to the transfer at an earlier stage. Nevertheless, the unions did display some sympathy for the protests, though they felt that it was already too late to stop the transfer.

Three days later, on 11 May, members of the railway unions VVMC and FSV brought almost all rail traffic in the north-east to a standstill. FSV and VVMC are independent unions whose members are drawn from amongst ticket collectors and engine drivers; the "official" unions generally have more members on the Dutch Railways (Nederlandse Spoorwegen, NS). FSV and VVMC threatened NS with a nationwide strike on 25 May unless it stopped plans to transfer NS employees to a joint venture between NS, VEONN and a third - as yet unknown - partner. FSV feels that it remains unclear whether the introduction of competition in public transport (NL9712150F) will continue as planned. This is due in part to the fact that left-wing parties, including the Labour Party (Partij van de Arbeid, PvdA), all gained extra seats in the 6 May parliamentary elections and oppose some or all of the plans to introduce competition.

NS considers both the recent and the planned strike an overreaction. The established trade unions, Bondgenoten- affiliated to the Federation of Dutch Trade Unions (Federatie Nederlandse Vakbeweging, FNV) - and Vervoersbond CNV-affiliated to the Christian Federation of Trade Unions (Christelijk Nationaal Vakverbond, CNV) - did not support the strikes either. Nevertheless, they did advise their members not to undermine the efforts of the strikers. The established unions have confidence in the agreement they recently concluded about the position of the employees involved in the transfer. According to this agreement, there will be no layoffs and the transfer to the new joint venture will be voluntary.

The latest news is that the strike on 25 May will probably be cancelled, because talks between the NS and the independent unions seem to have cleared the air.