The Netherlands Trade Union Confederation (FNV) has confirmed that staff at one of the major banks in the Netherlands, ING, will be striking on Thursday, March 30. The bank is working to ensure that the impact of the strike on customers is minimal.
Workers at major Dutch bank staging historic strike on March 30
The past couple of months have seen workers across various sectors down tools as they fight for higher wages and more favourable employment contracts. Since the start of this year, the Netherlands has seen a number of public transport strikes, as well as strikes among hospital workers and municipal staff.
Now, FNV has confirmed the next group to strike will be employees at one of the country’s largest banks: ING. Last week, the trade union announced a general strike on March 30. The move is historic, marking only the second time in ING’s history that employees have staged industrial action, the first being a two-hour strike on March 14, 2023.
FNV says ING's current offer isn't enough
Talking to the AD, FNV’s Duygu Akçay refused to provide details about Thursday's strike, instead hoping to “maximise the surprise effect”, but did warn that it would have a “national impact”. It remains unclear which departments will be affected by the action.
Akçay warned that “the action day can also have consequences for customers of ING, which is inherent to a strike,” adding that the bank had the power to prevent this by settling on a “good collective bargaining offer”. Meanwhile, in a statement provided by ING, the bank confirmed that “work interruptions” were planned for March 30, but said it would “try to minimise any possible inconvenience for customers.”
ING is currently offering employees a salary increase of between 4 and 7 percent in 2023, followed by a collective increase of 3 percent and an individual increase of between 1 and 2 percent in 2024. According to FNV, the offer is “not nearly enough”.
Thumb: Bjoern Wylezich via Shutterstock.com.