The Norwegian Train Drivers’ Union (NLF) plans to escalate its strike on Monday, October 5, saying it sees no willingness from state-owned rail operator Vy to reach an agreement. Union leader Rolf Ringdal said all 19 Vy drivers stationed in Kongsvinger would be included.
The action could significantly reduce services to and from Kongsvinger. The R14 route between Asker and Kongsvinger is expected to be particularly affected. Nine departures on the line are already forecast to be cancelled on Wednesday, September 30—about 21% of its services.
Vy communications director Åge-Christoffer Lundeby said the company cannot yet predict how an expanded strike would affect next week’s rail traffic. The operator’s website expects 580 cancellations in total from Tuesday through Friday this week; it has not yet established a forecast for the following week.
The strike has been under way since September 18. Vy and employers’ association Spekter previously made a new offer to end it, but the union said the proposal was inadequate. NLF says the dispute concerns uncertainty over where and how drivers will work and when they will have time off. Ringdal did not rule out further walkouts and said the union was prepared to keep negotiating for an acceptable settlement.
The union acknowledges that industrial action inevitably affects passengers, although Ringdal said they were not the people he wanted to target. Commuters whose jobs require them to be physically present may need to find other ways to travel.