Overview
- Unions FNV and CNV began a 12-hour work stoppage running from 09:00 to 21:00 on Monday to press for a 6% pay rise and a shift to a 36-hour workweek with a fixed day off.
- The court in Utrecht ruled the strike lawful but set a 12.5% minimum staffing level for roadside assistance and an 85% minimum for the ANWB alarm centre and ordered unions to recall members if volunteer levels fall short or a major calamity occurs.
- ANWB had sought much higher mandatory staffing, saying lower cover would strand motorists and threaten road safety, but the court found the lower limits sufficient to handle the highest-priority cases such as a stalled vehicle on a motorway hard shoulder or in a tunnel.
- Demonstrations accompanied the stoppage, with dozens of ANWB vehicles and roughly 250 staff gathering on the Malieveld in The Hague, and the organisation says emergency calls and high-priority incidents will continue to be handled.
- Drivers should expect longer waits for non-urgent breakdowns while priority and emergency responses are protected, and the strike raises pressure on stalled collective bargaining that has seen targeted, low-impact actions since 21 September.