What you need to know about the Dutch public transport strike on June 24

On Wednesday, June 24, a public transport strike is set to take place across the Netherlands. Here’s what you need to know.

When is the public transport strike taking place?

A public transport strike will take place on the morning of Wednesday, June 24, throughout the whole of the Netherlands. No trains, buses, trams or metros will start running before 8am, affecting travellers during rush hour.

Disruption expected on Dutch public transport due to strike

It may be a good day to work from home on Wednesday, as anyone planning to use public transport on June 24 should expect travel disruptions. Trains, buses, trams and metros across the Netherlands will be affected by the public transport strike.

There will be no public transport running throughout the Netherlands until 8am on the day of the strike. Travellers who need to get to the airport for an early flight should keep this in mind. 

While traffic will resume at 8am, further disruptions throughout the day are possible. For example, Amsterdam public transport company GVB has already warned that the strike will affect the timetable for the rest of the day following the strike. The timetable will start later than usual, making it “less predictable”, reports AT5.

For this reason, it is a good idea to check the travel planner before heading out of the house.

Why are public transport workers in the Netherlands striking?

Back in May, Dutch trade unions announced a nationwide public transport strike for June, after issuing an ultimatum to the government. They demanded that the plans to cut unemployment benefits (WW) and disability benefits (WIA), as well as those to increase the state pension age, be scrapped. 

In the coalition agreement, the minority cabinet included plans to reduce the unemployment benefit from two years to a maximum of one year and overhaul the disability system while making cuts to disability benefits. 

One of the most controversial plans included was the one to raise the state pension age. As it stands, the age to start receiving the state pension (AOW) is 67 and increases by eight months for every extra year of life expectancy. However, the government’s plans were to align this rise with life expectancy, meaning that for every year added to life expectancy, a year would be added to the state pension age.

The government scrapped its plans to raise the state pension age more quickly and promised to revise plans to cut worker benefits, but the unions found this insufficient and vague. Further strikes have also not been ruled out.

More recently, Prime Minister Rob Jetten stated in the House of Representatives (Tweede Kamer) that the cabinet is willing to “potentially” reduce the cuts to social security. Alternatives would have to be thoroughly examined though, and opposition parties would want a plan for the 6,5 billion euros that cutting benefits would create. Concrete plans are expected in the coming weeks, reports NOS. 

Further strikes in the Netherlands possible

The strike on June 24 could just be the beginning. FNV has organised multiple actions across various cities in the days leading up to the strike and the days after. 

In an earlier press release, FNV board member Edwin Kuiper said this strike could be just the first. "If we are still in this position after the summer, larger actions will follow," said Kuiper. "Then you really have to think of 24-hour strikes, so in that respect, this is a first pinprick."