Dutch port workers to strike at Rotterdam, Amsterdam and Zeeland on 4 September
FNV Havens action runs 11:15 to 19:00 against a €6.5bn social security cut
Port workers across the Netherlands will halt operations at Rotterdam, Amsterdam and Zeeland on 4 September in a nationwide strike called by the FNV Havens union.
The action is scheduled from 11:15 to 19:00 local time and protests the Dutch government's planned €6.5 billion reduction in social security expenditure, which would halve the maximum duration of unemployment benefits from two years to one.
Rotterdam is Europe's largest container port, and disruption there has the potential to affect container services across the continent. Vessel mooring, loading, unloading, lashing, towing, cargo inspections and terminal truck handling are all expected to be suspended during the strike period, which removes essentially every function required to work a ship alongside a berth.
The window also extends beyond the quay. Contargo has warned that terminal activities could be severely restricted or completely suspended between approximately 10:30 and 20:00, with potential cancellations of scheduled rail round trips and disruptions to Betuweroute and German corridor connections. That is the part of the stoppage that reaches inland shippers who never touch a Dutch terminal directly, because the corridor carries boxes between the Dutch coast and the German hinterland.
"We do not accept that security regarding unemployment and disability protections are being sacrificed for political choices," said Asmae Hajjari, an FNV Havens union official.
More than 700 port workers had signalled their willingness to take industrial action at a general meeting held on 31 March, several months before the date was set.
The union has also announced a separate 24-hour nationwide public transport strike on 9 September, during which Dutch rail, regional and urban services will be suspended. Two stoppages within a week put pressure on both the maritime and the landside legs of the same supply chain, with Amsterdam and Zeeland affected alongside Rotterdam on the earlier date.
