Unions and employers are still far from a collective agreement on local transport

According to Mariin van der Garg, director of the FNV, the trade union FNV’s demands for new collective bargaining agreements in regional transport are still far from what employers are offering. A new round of negotiations took place on Friday.

“While the main difference remains wage increases, there are also major challenges in terms of reduced workloads and adequate placement for the elderly,” van der Garg said in a statement.

The FNV director insisted that all focus is on January 10, when negotiations will resume. “If that doesn’t produce enough results, we will have no choice but to continue with the strikes scheduled for January 17, 18, 19 and 20.”

Approximately 13,000 people fall under the regional transportation group agreement. His current collective bargaining agreement expires on December 31st.

FNV wanted a structural repair of the loss of purchasing power due to price increases. As such, the union put forward his wage claim of 20%. “The restoration of the loss of purchasing power therefore applies to next year, but it also covers last year’s loss. The proposals made by employers today are wholly insufficient to cover that loss,” van der Garg said. said.

The union also wanted to tackle high workloads. According to FNV, many drivers are running in the gums due to a massive staff shortage. “Holidays are often withdrawn and required benefits are not paid. Employers are currently ignoring rules to maintain schedules.This is at the expense of the health of drivers. One person is sick,” said the FNV director.

Collective bargaining agreements in regional transportation differ from those that apply to companies such as Qbuzz, Arriva, and Keolis, which have approximately 1,300 employees.

Unions are also at odds with employers over this collective bargaining agreement. For these conductors, train drivers and bus drivers, the union is demanding that their wages automatically increase with inflation. Arriba trains are therefore on strike in the north of the Netherlands.