Cleaners strike at Schiphol and train stations

Cleaners at Schiphol airport, NS train stations, universities, and higher education institutions have walked off the job through Friday.

The nationwide strike was announced by trade union FNV in protest of a new collective labour agreement signed between employers’ association Schoonmakend Nederland and rival union CNV.

According to Caroline Lamberts of FNV Schoonmaak, more than 80% of their members rejected the agreement because the terms were not good enough.

Demands for a new labour agreement

The union wants the collective agreement reopened and has presented four main demands for any new contract.

These include no loss of income during sick leave, automatic price compensation, and higher wage increases.

The union is also demanding equal allowances for hotel cleaners, pointing out that hotel staff do not receive the weekend premiums given to cleaners in other sectors.

Lamberts noted that cleaners are usually invisible until their work is left undone, and the strike aims to show the public what happens when they are not there.

Source: NH Nieuws