World · Europe · 2 hrs ago
Dutch regional transport strike called off as pay talks resume
Unions called off Thursday’s regional transport strike in the Netherlands after employers made a new proposal.
Unions and employers will resume talks on a new labour agreement for regional transport workers.
The negotiations had stalled, and unions had planned to strike one day a week until Christmas.
The first nationwide strike took place last week.
Employers are willing to bring forward a proposed 2% pay rise, and unions say proposals to worsen work schedules have been withdrawn.
FNV has paused strike action for two weeks, but unions say they may strike again if talks fail.
The two sides are due to restart discussions immediately.
The planned Dutch regional transport strike on Thursday has been called off as unions and employers resume talks on a new collective labour agreement.
FNV has suspended strike action for two weeks, while saying further action remains possible if talks fail.
Employers made a new proposal and are willing to bring forward a proposed pay increase.
The negotiations had stalled, and unions had planned one strike day a week until Christmas.
- Who
- Unions including FNV and CNV, and regional transport employers represented by VWOV.
- What
- The planned strike was called off and talks on a new collective labour agreement will resume.
- When
- The announcement was made on Wednesday, 21 October 2026; the strike had been planned for Thursday.
- Where
- The Netherlands’ regional public transport sector.
- Why
- Employers made a new proposal, creating a basis for renewed talks after negotiations had stalled.
Regional transport unions
Regional transport employers
Pay
Regional transport unions
Unions said employers were willing to bring forward a proposed pay increase.
Regional transport employers
Employers were prepared to bring forward a proposed 2 percent pay increase.
Working conditions
Regional transport unions
CNV said proposals to worsen the agreement, including on rosters, had been withdrawn.
Regional transport employers
Employers removed proposals to worsen the agreement, according to CNV.
Negotiations on a new public transport collective agreement had stalled.
The first nationwide strike took place.
Employers sent the unions a new proposal to restart talks.
The unions and employers agreed to resume talks, and FNV suspended strike action for two weeks.
The planned regional transport strike was called off.
- Strike
- Planned for Thursday; called off
- Strike suspension
- FNV suspended actions for two weeks
- Pay proposal
- Employers were willing to bring forward a proposed 2 percent pay increase
- Workers covered
- The collective agreement covers 13,000 employees
- Next steps
- Unions and employers are resuming negotiations about a new collective agreement
4 sources
What people are saying
We are choosing a truce for now. We are still a long way from an agreement, but we see points of departure for making progress.
If necessary, we will not hesitate to strike again. It is up to the employers to prevent that.
We see that the employers have taken an important step. All proposals to worsen the collective agreement, for example on worse rosters, have been taken off the table.