Dutch Union Sets National Strike for Port Workers Over Social Security Cuts
A long-simmering dispute over the Netherlands government plans to cut social security benefits is heating up as the union FNV Havens declared a national strike day for port workers. The union is threatening to shut down the Port of Rotterdam and the country’s other major ports on September 4, followed by a nationwide public transit strike on September 9 to show its dissatisfaction with the planned cuts.
The trade union has been campaigning against the cuts and calling for employees and employers to have the responsibility for the design and implementation of the nation’s social security system. FNV says employers and employees jointly pay the premiums and, as such, should have responsibility over the system.
"We do not accept that security regarding unemployment or disability is sacrificed for other political choices. Social security is not the cabinet's savings account. Employees and employers have paid premiums for this for years," said Asmae Hajjari, a FNV Havens union official.
The union said that port workers will go on strike at 11:15 a.m. on September 4, and they will not unload, moor, or tow ships. Also, no cargo inspections will be undertaken. The members are primarily at the Port of Rotterdam, but the strike is also expected to impact Amsterdam and Zeeland. Last year, the union interrupted operations at Rotterdam when the container lashers struck.
FNV asserts the government would cut as much as €6.5 billion ($7.5 billion) in order to finance other priorities. The Dutch government, the union says, would halve the maximum duration for unemployment benefits from two years to one. Other cuts would include increasing the state pension age and reducing the amount of disability benefits.
“Social security is not the cabinet’s piggy bank,” declared FNV’s leaders. It threatened in March to strike if the government did not revise its plans. Since then, the government proposed changes that included scrapping the increase in the retirement age and lowering the proposed cuts, but FNV says that is not enough.
It points out that the unemployed would expend their savings and possibly lose their homes before being forced onto public assistance under the plan. Further, it highlights that employment is already under pressure due to automation, digitalization, and artificial intelligence, and that the cuts in social security would hit everyone extremely hard.
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Belgium has faced similar union challenges since a coalition government proposed sweeping changes to the country’s social services. The ports were repeatedly blocked in 2025 by protestors, and groups such as the pilots went on strike. Belgium had a large general strike on May 12, when reports said tens of thousands of workers marched on Brussels.
The Port of Rotterdam is the busiest in Europe, handling approximately 14 million TEU annually and a total of 428 million tonnes of goods. Rotterdam is being rivaled by Antwerp, which is a close second in handling containers. It and the other Dutch ports also serve as a link from ocean transport to the inland river networks of Europe.
