Netherlands: bus drivers strike, solidarity needed

[Wanted Man]

Regional bus drivers have gone on strike in almost all of the Netherlands today. The union federation FNV demands a better collective employment agreement. Today and tomorrow, almost no regional buses will be running.

The bus drivers previously held public-friendly actions. This meant that on some days, they would give everybody free rides, without checking for a ticket. Public-friendly actions will also be held during the exam period of high school, so that students will not be affected by strikes. This was agreed upon with the student union LAKS.

This is just one example of the solidarity that is bitterly needed, rather than complaining about not being able to take the bus for two days. As part of this, the Communist Youth in Groningen has collected more than 1,000 signatures of solidarity with the bus drivers over the last few days. The petition will be handed to the FNV.

[eyedrop]

Interesting, that was a good way to strike, the method of giving free rides, so the media can't make a case of the strikers working against the public who doesn't get to ride.

[Wanted Man]

It's simply brilliant. The bus operators will miss out on a lot of profit, yet people will still get rides. Still, they finally decided to actually strike today and tomorrow. It makes things difficult for people who depend on bus transport, but sometimes strike action is simply necessary.

At this point, it's vital to spread consciousness by calling for solidarity, so I'm very glad that the comrades in Groningen have worked hard on this. More than 1,000 signatures within a couple of days is really neat. From what I've heard, the petition was well-received by the union. I've also heard that bus drivers all across the land have heeded the call to strike. Some 95% of the buses in the whole country did not run today.

[eyedrop]

It's simply brilliant. The bus operators will miss out on a lot of profit, yet people will still get rides. Still, they finally decided to actually strike today and tomorrow. It makes things difficult for people who depend on bus transport, but sometimes strike action is simply necessary.

At this point, it's vital to spread consciousness by calling for solidarity, so I'm very glad that the comrades in Groningen have worked hard on this. More than 1,000 signatures within a couple of days is really neat. From what I've heard, the petition was well-received by the union. I've also heard that bus drivers all across the land have heeded the call to strike. Some 95% of the buses in the whole country did not run today.

Agreed! Perfectly tailored to hit the ones it is supposed to hurt, the owners. Got any links?

Off-topic, I'm considering taking a trip to Netherlands to the autumn, any recommendations?

[Wanted Man]

I looked for you on Google News, here is an English-language source: http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2008/05/bus_strike_on_wednesday.php

As for your other question. In the autumn, it may be a bit rainy, so I wouldn't plan anything too outdoorsy. Although you can never know for sure. Obviously, Amsterdam is a city that is definitely worth visiting. Other than that, it depends on what you want to do on a vacation. Try a travel guide, like this freely-edited one: http://wikitravel.org/en/Netherlands

My own recommendation would be to visit my lovely hometown of Groningen. It's a northern city where it's great to go out at night. If I recall correctly, The Three Sisters (http://driegezusters.nl/english.php) in Groningen is the biggest facility for going out in Europe. The link I gave you only seems to have info on the Amsterdam establishment, but the one in Groningen is really the place to be. Groningen is a students' city with a lovely nightlife.

When travelling, note that train tickets are expensive. :( A two-way ticket from Amsterdam to Groningen, for example, is a whopping 39 euros! One-way is cheaper, of course. The train is a nice way to get from Schiphol Airport right to the centre of Amsterdam, though. There's a train station right below the airport, and if you take the train to Amsterdam Centraal, you're right smack in the heart of the city.

[eyedrop]

I looked for you on Google News, here is an English-language source: http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2008/05/bus_strike_on_wednesday.php

As for your other question. In the autumn, it may be a bit rainy, so I wouldn't plan anything too outdoorsy. Although you can never know for sure. Obviously, Amsterdam is a city that is definitely worth visiting. Other than that, it depends on what you want to do on a vacation. Try a travel guide, like this freely-edited one: http://wikitravel.org/en/Netherlands

My own recommendation would be to visit my lovely hometown of Groningen. It's a northern city where it's great to go out at night. If I recall correctly, The Three Sisters (http://driegezusters.nl/english.php) in Groningen is the biggest facility for going out in Europe. The link I gave you only seems to have info on the Amsterdam establishment, but the one in Groningen is really the place to be. Groningen is a students' city with a lovely nightlife.

When travelling, note that train tickets are expensive. :( A two-way ticket from Amsterdam to Groningen, for example, is a whopping 39 euros! One-way is cheaper, of course. The train is a nice way to get from Schiphol Airport right to the centre of Amsterdam, though. There's a train station right below the airport, and if you take the train to Amsterdam Centraal, you're right smack in the heart of the city.

Thanks btw.

This reminds me a bit of what happened in my old hometown a few years ago when they privatised the bus system. The only effect where that they invested technical equipment to make it harder to sneak on the bus while they jacked the price up while putting the blame on that the equipment. Something in that equation didn't make sense. This was what made me conclude that privatisation werent good. Not that the bus system was any better before as it was singlehandedly a cause of over half the classes I missed as the buss was full and I couldn't get on it.

[Wanted Man]

Ah, that sucks. The liberalization of public transport has not done this country much good, either.

[eyedrop]

It was quite good for me personally since then I could see firsthand the direct effects of privatisation. I doubt it ever does much good. But it became quite clear to me when I saw that they bought some effectivisation equipment and they charged more and simultaneously got more people to pay, as it was harder to sneak. Shouldn't the privatization make it more efficient and cheap and better for the users?

That and struggling with the local state for an upgrade of our ice hockey field and later for a skatepark made me doubt the system.

[Wanted Man]

More bus strikes next week, most likely. The unions have rejected an offer from the employers. They insist on keeping paid 15-minute breaks. Strikes are likely to happen on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday outside rush hour.

[Illus]

The free rides thing is good, the bourgeois media love to try and paint striking workers as greedy.

[Wanted Man]

Some media complained that there were strikes at all, saying that they should just give free rides all the time. I also thought that the free rides were the best way to go, as it was convenient to the traveller AND hurt the bosses' profits.

I was also wondering about the strikes, and I was writing an article on it for college (I study Journalism). I phoned to the union, and their PR man explained why I was wrong: in the liberalized public transport system, the regional governments pay bus operators for running. So even with free rides, the operators still get some money, even making a slight profit. But when the buses don't run, the operators get fined by the provinces.

In other words, strike action is the only way to hit the bastards where it hurts the most: in their wallets. The drivers have striked again on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday this week, and are more than willing to continue it into next week. Solidarity forever!

Oh, by the way, the bus operators also placed a disingenuous ad in the country's biggest, most right-wing paper, De Telegraaf. In it, they claim that they offered the bus drivers 20% raise over 3 years, asking them only to sacrifice their paid breaks. They then go on to whine that the bus drivers "don't want to negotiate" and that they are "making the consumer suffer". This abject, screamy message is not worth the paper it's written on, because it's full of lies. The operators' "royal" offer also demands sacrifices of free days and a slew of other things.

[Wanted Man]

Strikes look set to continue. Next Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, there will once again be no buses running.

[ManyAntsDefeatSpiders]

Is this transport system wholly privatised or does it still receive subsidies off the government?

[Wanted Man]

It's somewhere in-between. Market forces have been introduced several years ago. The Ministry of Transport gives subsidies to the regional and local governments. They "hire" operators to run in their provinces or cities. There are 8 regional operators, as well as 5 operators in the cities Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht, The Hague and Nijmegen.

It's a bit confusing, because there can be different operators in different parts of the country. Where I live, in Zwolle, there are buses from both Connexxion and Veolia, the latter all running between Zwolle and a province to the south. The strikes are aimed at the regional operators like Connexxion, Veolia and I think Arriva. These operators are also the ones who wrote the pathetic ad that I mentioned before.

[Das war einmal]

Funny enough, a lot of my fellow students are furious at the busdrivers, for not driving. I was the only one who supported the strikes. The only question is, are these 'public-unfriendly' actions wise? Timing couldnt have been worse, since highschool students need to do their final examinations :(

[Wanted Man]

It's not surprising that a lot of people are angry, many of them really depend on the buses. It's not easy to explain why they need to fight for their rights, but it's very much worthwhile. It's a fact that bus transport will only become more difficult as waves of liberalization are pushed down our throats. If nobody takes a stand against it now, who will, and when?

The strikes are indeed harsh on school students, but there are still 'public-friendly actions' during rush hour. With a bit of good timing, they can even ride the bus for free. But that could mean having to wait for a long time, which I understand can be frustrating. But if the transport sector accepts the break-down of their rights that comes with liberalization, then who knows which sector is next?

[Melnitz]

It's somewhere in-between. Market forces have been introduced several years ago. The Ministry of Transport gives subsidies to the regional and local governments. They "hire" operators to run in their provinces or cities.

We're facing the same procedure in Switzerland. They want competition between different operators to reduce prices. As I am working for SBB regional-trains I follow the development very close (I am concerned myself). The strike of the SBB Cargo Workers in March/April 2008 was a first reaction on this process. I think this is a pan-European tendency and we should start to organize a cross-boarder resistance.

[Wanted Man]

Absolutely, it's part of a bigger process.

Anyway, the regional operators Arriva, Connexxion and Veolia are in deep shit. Starting on the 1st of June, the bus drivers will strike for an undetermined period of time.

[Wanted Man]

Today, a group of bus drivers from Tilburg had something special planned. It was believed that a privately-owned tour bus would be scabbing, in order to drive people to the nearby theme park Efteling. The plan was to await the scab bus and board it, in order to enjoy a nice day in the theme park and fuck with the private bus operator a bit. But the scab bus never showed up, so that's one problem less. :D

Video: http://www.brabantsdagblad.nl/regios/tilburg/3210587/Tevergeefs-wachten-op-besmette-bus-naar-Efteling.ece

[Melnitz]

What was the result of the strike?

[Wanted Man]

It is still ongoing.

[Wanted Man]

We had an action in Groningen today. Basically, it's possible to ask the transport companies for compensation for lost money (from monthly cards and the like). So we went into town with flyers to encourage people to do just that. This will hopefully put some much-needed pressure on Arriva and Connexxion.

The feedback was great, even a lot of travellers who depend on bus transport understood that strike action is needed to prevent the selling out of our transport. Many drivers were more than happy to put the flyers on display in their buses.

Oh, and a big 'fuck you' to the so-called travellers' organisation ROVER. They supported the government's legal case against the strikers in the name of 'preventing the disenfranchising of travellers'. Because of this, the drivers were forced to drive at rush hour. Worse yet, they weren't even allowed to have 'public-friendly actions' (i.e. free rides), they had to charge everyone. This travellers' organisation blatantly sides with the bosses and it sure as hell doesn't represent me.

[Herman]

Although I support this strike, i've been forced to wake up early in order to be on time to university :(

Ah well, as long as the bus drivers win this fight, all's fine.

[Wanted Man]

The judge's decision wasn't too bad for me, because I had to go to the university complex on the other side of the city for the action! :laugh: But yeah, many drivers didn't mind it too much, they love the bus just as much as we do. But the decision is still fucked up, to limit someone's right to strike like that. One of them even told me that he felt his freedom was being impeded.

What's also disgusting is that the media continue to peddle the same old crap: "Wahh, why are they striking? They should just have public-friendly actions!" Of course, a mere phonecall to the union would show that they can't do this, because the judge forced them to charge people. Thanks to ROVER, no less.

And of course, it's even worse that the self-proclaimed travellers' organisation participates in this quick-fix 'solution' that really only attacks the struggle and helps the bosses. In other parts of the country, drivers did not necessarily have to run during rush hour, and many of them didn't. A ROVER communique then called them 'poor losers' and accused them of intentionally disenfranchising the travellers. Really fucked-up and inexcusable.