Thousands of public sector workers are gathering in The Hague on Tuesday to protest against government plans to cut social security. Trade unions FNV and CNV report around 3,000 registrations for the demonstration, including staff from municipalities, civil service departments and universities.
Demonstrators are assembling in the city centre, where leaders from trade unions including FNV, CNV and VCP will deliver speeches. The crowd will then march to the Ministry of Finance to present their alternative budget plans, accompanied by a golden carriage ahead of Prinsjesdag (Prinsjesdag) next week.
As part of the wider campaign, staff at the National Cleaning Organisation (Rijks schoonmaakorganisatie) will strike for the remainder of the week and next Monday. Workers at The Hague Street Organisation (Haagse straatorganisatie)planned a temporary work stoppage on Tuesday, while 150 ABN AMRO employees also joined the strike action. A bank spokesperson confirmed that customer services will remain unaffected.
The National Cleaning Organisation maintains government ministries. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment stated that officials are waiting to see how many staff strike before adapting cleaning operations. Cleaning staff working at asylum seeker centres (AZCs) and correctional facilities will not join the stoppage.
At the Hague
The Hague municipality expects minimal disruption from the local street organisation stoppage, noting that most staff are working normally and that waste collection and street cleaning will continue as planned.
Tuesday’s protest forms part of a broader trade union campaign against proposed social security reductions. Although leaked documents suggest some cuts have been postponed or scrapped, unions are demanding a total reversal. A nationwide public transport strike is scheduled for Wednesday, which is expected to halt most train services.
On Monday, the FNV union organised a demonstration involving around three hundred staff across Heineken breweries in Zoeterwoude and Den Bosch. A spokeswoman for Heineken confirmed that brewing and deliveries continued without disruption.
@anp | NEWS BRAINPORT
