Next week will see a wave of strikes across the Netherlands as cleaners and metal workers join public transport staff to protest against government spending cuts. The trade unions are angry about planned reductions to state pensions (AOW), unemployment benefits (WW), and disability support (WIA).
The disruptions will peak mid-week. Following earlier news of a public transport strike, the FNV union has confirmed that no trains will run on Wednesday morning. To add to this, cleaners in Utrecht will stage a 24-hour walkout on the very same day.
By Friday, the focus will shift to the Southeast Brabant region, where metal workers plan to strike all day. This action will affect around twenty of the largest metal companies in the area.
The week of protests actually kicks off on Monday at Schiphol Airport, with more demonstrations planned in various cities later in the week. Even school staff want to join in; education unions have officially asked primary school employers to let teachers attend the protests during work hours.
These strikes are happening because the main trade unions want the government to completely drop its social security cuts, especially the plan to raise the pension age more quickly. Although the Minister for Social Affairs recently withdrew the original plans to negotiate, the unions decided to go ahead with the strikes because the government still refuses to promise that the cuts are permanently off the table.
@anp | NEWS BRAINPORT
