After bus driver unions FNV and CNV reached a deal with employers on Sunday evening, the planned strike for this week was called off.
Translation by Traci White
The deal still needs to be accepted by the union members. Dagblad van het Noorden reports that the new labour agreement guarantees that drivers on 82 percent of the bus lines will get a break every 2.5 hours – the remaining 18 percent will have a break every three hours.
The deal, which will come into effect on 1 January and will be valid for the next two and a half years, also includes an annual three percent raise and a one-time 650-euro bonus. RTV Drenthe reports that CNV and FNV represent 12,000 public transportation employees in the Netherlands.
The most recent strike which began on Wednesday was the longest and largest of a series of recent efforts to reach a better deal for bus drivers. A two-day nationwide strike took place in late April, and regional strikes took place across the country, including the north, in late May.
