Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague public transport strike loom

[Balou]

Public transport firms in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague are to strike mid February in protest at government plans to put their services out to public tender.

The cabinet expects privatising public transport services will save some €120m.

Ger Geldhof of the works council at Amsterdam's bus and tram company GVB told news agency ANP he expects the contracts to be given to two big foreign players. Hundreds of jobs are also at stake, Geldhof says.

http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2 ... _hague.php

[Marco]

I hope they do not privatize. It works well (not great) now.

[Colina]

do they also lower the taxes people have to pay when they save 120m Euros?
or does the government just use the money for other projects?

if they privatize the people will have to pay more for their tickets, the service and savety will get worse imo. to privatize is not good idea.

[Big Bad Buddha Hat]

Does anyone know what days the stikes are being held? I'm travelling there from 21-24 of February. Worst comes to worst, I can always catch a minicab, but that's likely to be more expensive.

[Balou]

Unions of public transport workers have announced strikes in several cities in the Netherlands on February 14, 15 and 16.

The workers will go on strike in a different city each day.

Amsterdam public transport is likely to strike on February 14. This means there will be either no public transport at all, or less public transport than normal.

The trains will not be affected, so, for example, there will be trains between Amsterdam and Schiphol Airport.

The reason for the strike is that the current government wants to introduce a public tender for the public transport in the big cities in Holland. Transport companies can then compete to get the public transport for a certain city.
Up to now, the cities have been protected from free market competition, but the government wants to change that. By doing so, it says it wants to economize and provide better service. The unions say it will cost jobs, and services will deteriorate.

Amsterdam public transport has always (since 1900) been run by the GVB, but with an open tender this could change.

http://www.simplyamsterdam.nl/news/Amst ... ary_14.htm

[safer99]

They begin on Monday 14 feb. in Amsterdam.
15 feb in The Hague and 16 feb in
Rotterdam.