Arriva Wins Case Against FNV: Bus Drivers in Twente Not Allowed to Strike on Monday

Bus drivers in the Twente region are not allowed to strike on Monday. The Court of the Central District of the Netherlands decided this in short proceedings that the transport company Arriva had filed against the trade union FNV.

It is not yet clear how the judge came to the decision. As this is a so-called summary judgment due to the haste that is necessary, both parties will not receive a detailed version of the judgment until next week.

The employees of the regional transporter Arriva in Twente are not happy with the high workload. As consultations on other driving and rest periods did not yield concrete results, FNV called on bus drivers to stop work for 24 hours on Monday.

The union already had this in February threatened with strikes, but then Arriva promised to change drivers’ records. According to the union, this hasn’t quite happened yet after two months.

Dissatisfaction arose among drivers at the end of last year when Arriva took over bus transport from Keolis. According to the unions, old labor agreements between the drivers and Keolis regarding driving and rest periods have not been fully accepted. The other times, which were outside the collective working agreement, were completely canceled by Arriva. According to the FNV, absence due to illness has increased significantly, to around 30 percent.

FNV says it is disappointed with the decision. “Employees are in a precarious situation and drive around with very unhealthy work schedules. The employer has promised several times that the situation will be improved. But it has always been canceled,” union leader Marijn van der Gaag said.

The union says that they are now talking to the bus drivers about other measures. “We will abide by the judge’s decision and we will not go on strike on Monday.

“We are happy with this statement,” said Arriva in response to NOS. “Especially because our passengers are not facing this strike. From now on, we can continue to work towards a suitable package of services after the summer break as soon as possible, looking forward.”

The carrier says it hopes the regulation will bring “peace to the workplace”.