Dutch National Railways (NS) employees will strike for a third time on Friday, impacting train traffic in several provinces. This action is the latest development in an ongoing collective labor agreement conflict between trade unions VVMC, FNV, and CNV, and NS management.

The strike on Friday will affect the ‘north and south region,’ including locations in Zeeland, Noord-Brabant, Limburg, Flevoland, Overijssel, Friesland, and Groningen. These regional actions follow strikes that took place last Friday and Tuesday, which significantly disrupted train traffic across the country, particularly in the Randstad region.

The unions are demanding a wage increase of 7 to 8 percent, arguing that the management’s offer of 2.55 percent annually is insufficient. FNV director Henri Janssen confirmed the planned strike.

No strikes are planned for the provinces of Gelderland, Utrecht, and Noord- and Zuid-Holland. These locations fall under different regions.

An NS spokesperson stated that the company could not yet determine the impact on train traffic. This cautious approach follows a previous incident where the unions announced a strike for Thursday but canceled it at the last minute.

The NS has not yet received formal notification of the Friday strike from the unions, which is required 36 hours in advance. Once notification is received, the NS will inform passengers about potential train cancellations.