On March 18, public transport employees will stop working for a total of 66 minutes in Amsterdam, The Hague and Rotterdam. This strike is part of a national day of action for better pensions, Dutch unions FNV, CNV and VCP report.

Striking for better pensions

The strike will take place from 6am until 7.06am, with these 66 minutes symbolising the age that the Dutch union wishes the eligible pension age to be frozen at. Currently, the age at which one is eligible for a pension keeps on climbing. The unions also want further indexation of pensions and the possibility for everyone to build up a pension, whether you are a freelancer, temp or in permanent employment.

Whilst the strike only takes place between 6am and 7.06am, city bus, tram and metro services before 6am will not be running either. It is unclear whether ferry services will be running or not before or during the strike.

Commuters late for work

If you are commuting to work early on Monday, March 18, expect to be a little later than usual that day. Luckily, the strike takes place very early and only affects the first part of morning rush hour.

In addition to the strike in the sector of public transport, strikes will also take place in the ports of Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Zeeland. Employees in the construction, cleaning and metal industry are also being called upon to carry out a 24-hour long strike.

Update: NS will also strike

NS will also be joining the strike for better pensions on Monday, March 18. This means that there will be no trains running across the country until after 7.06am. NS will strike in Den Helder, Arnhem, Hoorn, Alkmaar, Enkhuizen, Utrecht, Zwolle, The Hague, Enschede, Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Eindhoven, Hengelo, Maastricht and Heerlen. More places are likely to follow.