There were 36 strikes in the Netherlands last year, down 16 on 2023, the national statistics office the CBS said on Tuesday.

Most strikes involved the industrial and manufacturing sectors, and in total some 21,000 workers downed tools at some point during the year, the CBS said.

The biggest year for strikes in Dutch labour market history was 2019, when 319,000 people were involved in strikes, mainly in healthcare and education.

Fewer days were lost to strikes last year – 54,000 compared with 142,000 in 2023 – and a quarter of the strikes lasted just a few hours, the CBS said.

Among those to go on strike last year were pharmacy assistants and public transport staff.