The FNV has threatened the national railway company, the NS, with strikes. The negotiations about a new collective bargaining agreement for NS employees have collapsed, the trade union reported. The railway company and the union are still not in agreement after nine negotiation rounds, which have led to the FNV saying that it is “probable” that strikes will follow.
“If the members are ready to take action, then we will give the NS an ultimatum and prepare ourselves to organize strikes,” said FNV board member Henri Janssen. He described the situation as a “big middle finger” that the NS has put up to their “own loyal personnel.”
It is not yet clear when the strikes would take place. The FNV could also not say what the impact of the strikes would be.
Negotiations between the trade unions and the NS have often led to strikes. Staff have the capacity to halt most of the train travel in the Netherlands, which gives the unions a strong bargaining weapon to force through more significant wage increases.
Trade union CNV also broke off collective bargaining agreement negotiations with the NS, according to the union’s negotiator, Henk Jongsma. “The NS made an improved offer this morning, but it was insufficient for us,” he explained. “We are preparing for the next step and will likely take action.”
FNV is pushing for a 4 percent wage increase for NS workers on March 1, 2025, and March 1, 2026, plus a 120 euro bonus. The wage increase for this year would come into effect retroactively in this case. According to the FNV, the NS is currently offering an annual wage increase of 2.55 percent. The union thinks this is insufficient as it is likely going to be below inflation rates.
Before the previous collective bargaining agreement, which expired on March 1, the trade unions and NS had agreed on a salary increase of an average of 6.6 percent. Although those negotiations were also challenging, there were no mass strikes.
NS staff went on strike in 2022 to push for a higher salary increase. Travelers throughout the Netherlands were impacted by the strikes at that time.
Train travel was also halted in certain parts of the country in November due to strikes, but these were with the railway management company ProRail. Eventually, the company's workers earned a 10 percent wage increase over 18 months.
the NS said that they want to continue negotiations with the unions. "As far as we are concerned, negotiations have not yet been completed," a spokesperson for the railway company said.
Fire swept through the Jysk furniture chain's retail location in Horst, Limburg, on Thursday afternoon. The building on the Bremweg cannot be saved, and the flames have threatened two other companies, including a pet store a spokesperson for the Limburg-Noord Fire Department said.
There were no injuries reported, as customers and staff were able to get away from the fire in time. The fire soon spread to the adjacent building, which houses Pets Place. Although everyone who was in that building has been accounted for, the spokesperson could not say whether animals remained inside.
"Firefighters are now doing everything they can to save the pet shop. They are also trying to prevent the flames from spreading to a third, vacant building," a spokesperson told 1Limburg. The property has not been declared a total loss, according to ANP.
The fire was reported before 1:30 p.m., and the alarm was escalated to a major fire by 2:15 p.m. A Grip 1 local emergency was declared about 20 minutes later, initiating a protocol where all responding personnel organize under a single incident commander.
An NL Alert was issued to people in the region due to the significant amount of smoke that was released from the furniture store fire. Nearby residents were advised to close the windows and doors and to turn off their ventilation systems.
The A73 motorway was closed in both directions between Horst-Noord and Zaarderheiken as a precautionary measure, Rijkswaterstaat said. The billowing smoke clouds "drifting over the road" can be dangerous for drivers, the infrastructure agency said. Traffic was being detoured via the A50, the A2, or the A67.
The Netherlands has issued updated travel advisories for both India and Pakistan, urging Dutch citizens to exercise extreme caution due to escalating security risks in specific regions. Regions near the borders of both countries, where military activity is increasing, are now considered too dangerous for travel.
For India, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs has designated a red advisory for Jammu and Kashmir, Aksai Chin, and the state of Manipur, as well as regions along the Pakistan border. These areas are considered high-risk due to ongoing conflicts and military activity. The Ministry strongly advises Dutch citizens to avoid these regions.
Most of India remains under a yellow advisory, which signals that while these areas are not immediately dangerous, travelers should remain vigilant. Specific regions like Mizoram, Nagaland, and Chhattisgarh, along with others near borders with Myanmar, Bangladesh, and China, are included in this advisory.
In Pakistan, red advisories cover several high-risk areas, including the western part of the country, the Pakistan-India border, and sections of the Pakistan-China border. These regions, including the Line of Control and the Jammu and Kashmir area on the Pakistani side, face heightened military tensions and are too dangerous for travel.
For the rest of Pakistan, including the capital Islamabad, an orange advisory is in effect. This signals that non-essential travel should be avoided, although the risk is not as severe as in red-designated areas.
The Ministry has specifically cited recent military attacks in Punjab and along the Pakistan-India border, further exacerbating the risks to travelers. The Dutch government said it continues to monitor the situation closely and advises all Dutch citizens to stay informed and exercise caution.
Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp’s request to EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas to investigate whether Israel is adhering to the human rights conditions of the association agreement between the EU and the country has caused another fight in the already pretty divided Schoof I Cabinet. The coalition party PVV is angry that it and its Ministers weren’t informed about the letter in advance, sources close to the coalition told Nieuwsuur.
In the letter, NSC Minister Veldkamp accused Israel of not respecting human rights and democratic principles by blocking all humanitarian aid from entering Gaza for weeks. These principles are included in the treaty between Israel and the European Union, and Veldkamp wants the EU to investigate Israel’s compliance with the treaty’s conditions.
Multiple sources told Nieuwsuur that Veldkamp sent the letter without consulting with PVV Minister Reinette Klever (Foreign Trade and Development Aid) and PVV Deputy Prime Minister Fleur Agema. Only Klever’s political assistant received a notification that “something” was coming the evening before Veldkamp sent the letter.
PVV leader Geert Wilders, known to completely support Israel, expressed his displeasure on X, as he is wont to do. “Say [Prime Minister Dick] Schoof, were htose ridiculous anti-Israel measures of Minister Veldkamp taken by the entire Cabinet? Were all Ministers of all parties informed of this in advance, and did they agree to it? Is there a decision of the Council of Ministers at the basis of this?” he wrote.
According to the PVV, it is Schoof’s job as Prime Minister to ensure that Ministers and coalition party members are not ambushed and surprised in sensitive areas.
Sources close to Veldkamp point out that the government agreement states that the Cabinet can give substance to foreign policy. It states: “Where human rights and the rule of law are seriously violated, such as in Iran, Venezuela, or Belarus, the Cabinet will speak out and take action.” About Gaza, it states that the Cabinet is committed to “alleviating the serious humanitarian needs in the Gaza Strip and releasing all hostages.”
Veldkamp responded to Wilders’ post on X: “I will not go into the precise decision-making and what exactly is coordinated in the Cabinet. What this is about: the situation in the Gaza Strip is truly catastrophic and is only getting worse.”
Heading into an informal meeting of EU Ministers in Warsaw, Veldkamp also said that he was not the only one in the Cabinet who wants the EU to investigate Israel. “You can assume that I am not doing this alone,” he said.
As of April 20th, Israel has killed at least 51,157 people in Gaza, including at least 17,400 children, Al Jazeera reported based on figures from the Palestinian Ministry of Health. At least 116,724 people are hurt, and thousands are missing under the rubble, presumed dead. Israel’s bombings continue unabated, while it has also cut off Gaza from any aid and electricity. Around 290,000 children are “on the brink of death” from starvation, Gaza’s Government Media Office (GMO) said on Sunday.
The number of reports from women whose photos were manipulated into nudes or whose faces were used in deepfake porn is increasing explosively, the Telegraaf reports based on figures from online abuse expertise center Offlimits. Between January and April, Offlimits received almost as many reports of these AI-generated nudes as in the entire 2024.
The number of reports from victims of digitally manipulated images rose from 9 in 2023 to 59 last year. This year will almost certainly top 2024’s record by a significant number, Nikki Lee Janssen of Offlimits, where victims can go if their images are shared without permission, told the newspaper.
“The number of images that have been created using artificial intelligence is increasing explosively, and we are very concerned about this,” Janssen said. “When victims call us, they are often quite shocked. If nude photos you took yourself are leaked, that is already drastic. But at least you recognize yourself in that image. With AI nude images, there is an extra blow, because the image is completely foreign to you.”
Victims have to process that someone went and created these sexualized images of them. “At the same time, they are concerned about where those images might end up,” she said.
In the Netherlands creating and distributing AI generated nudes of someone else is considered revenge porn, with a maximum prison sentence of two years.
Students are paying 6 percent more for their room than a year ago. The average rent in the first quarter of this year was 683 euros per month. In the first three months of last year, it was still 658 euros, reported Kamernet, one of the largest websites for student rooms in the country.
Amsterdam is the most expensive city for students to live in. In the Dutch capital, a room costs an average of 979 euros per month. Utrecht (803 euros) and Haarlem (770 euros) follow. Enschede is the cheapest city with a rent of almost 400 euros.
Wageningen is one of the cheapest cities to live in as a student, with an average rent of 450 euros for a room, but this is almost 20 percent more than last year, the largest increase in the country. In Leiden, the average rent increased by more than 18 percent, in Leeuwarden and Eindhoven by approximately 14 percent. Tilburg is the only city where the rent decreased, and in Zwolle, the amount remained the same.
There is a massive shortage of student housing, Kamernet said. The shortage is in the tens of thousands, but the site only lists a few hundred more rooms than last year. “For many students, this means little choice and higher costs,” explained Kamernet director Jim Bijwaard. According to him, the shortage is due to rules that make it unattractive to rent out.
Kamerment based its calculations on almost 14,000 rooms that were offered for rent via the site.
