30 Jun 2023 at 09:15
NS CEO Wouter Koolmees urgently calls on the government to combat aggression against NS personnel. Railway employees are increasingly confronted with this. Koolmees wants the responsible ministries to take action.
NS staff will be confronted with aggression more often in 2022, the NS announced in February. The transport company reported 965 incidents at stations, in shops and on trains. In 2021, there were still 744 incidents.
“The water is on our lips,” Koolmees writes in a letter to the Ministry of Justice and Security and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management. He also sent the letter on behalf of trade unions FNV Spoor, VVMC, CNV and the Central Works Council.
The NS already sounded the alarm at the ministries in February 2022 and last February. The carrier then wanted the ministries to give priority to measures that improve the safety of NS personnel.
‘Little to no results’
One of those measures is to give NS personnel the authority to check the identity of perpetrators of violence. With this, the transport company says it can relieve the police.
In addition, NS wants to consult with ministries, the police and municipalities about tackling criminal behavior in public transport.
Minister Dilan Yesilgöz (Justice and Security) would have recognized and recognized these security measures before. But according to Koolmees, the government has achieved little or no result.
‘NS is coming up against limits’
The NS CEO says that the transport company itself is already taking many measures to improve the safety of its staff. For example, the NS is investing in additional security personnel, targeted camera surveillance and incidental checks at the entrance to platforms.
But Koolmees indicates that the company is running up against the limits of what it can and may do.
“We are now seeing employees drop out or quit their jobs,” Koolmees writes. “The staff on the train, platforms and stations indicate that the work has become more dangerous. Weapons are regularly found with travelers.”
The NS CEO speaks of a very worrying trend. “We urge your ministries to speed up the measures we are discussing with you.”
2023-06-30 07:15:19
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