No demonstration on Dam Square after all, but strikes are still going ahead

Trade unions and activists sought to make their voices heard on Tuesday at Dam Square in Amsterdam. They wanted to voice their opposition to the government's cuts to the higher education and research budget. However, a train strike has made the capital difficult to reach.

Railway unions in the Randstad region have called a strike due to a dispute over the new collective labour agreement. As a result, no trains will be running throughout the country on Tuesday.

Solidarity
‘We fully support their right to strike, of course, and we wish to express our solidarity with the train strikers,’ said a statement issued by trade unions FNV, AOb and LSVb, as well as the protest groups 0.7 and WOinActie.

University staff will be allowed to strike on Tuesday. The trade unions have not called off the strike. Lecturers, researchers, other staff and students therefore still have the right to walk out of work or study, even though the national demonstration has been cancelled.

On Monday, Trade Union Members in Solidarity with Palestine called on students and staff from Utrecht to gather at Janskerkhof at noon on Tuesday. 

Earlier this week, UU called on staff and students to go to Amsterdam. The university has drawn up guidelines for those who wish to demonstrate.

The basic principle is that as many classes as possible should go on. Lecturers were asked to take this into account as much as possible and coordinate their absence with their managers.

In the university's opinion, absent students should be able to count on leniency. However, they are not entitled to replacement classes or any special arrangements for exams.