Social and Economic Council

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The Social and Economic Council (Dutch: Sociaal-Economische Raad, SER) is a major economic advisory council to the cabinet of the Netherlands. Formally it heads a system of sector-based regulatory organisations. It represents the social partners trade unions and employers' organisations. It forms the core organisation of the corporatist and social market economy known as the polder model and the main platform for social dialogue.

Contents

History

The SER was founded in 1950. It was founded after a long debate about the economic order of the Netherlands. The two main governing parties of the time, the Catholic People's Party (KVP) and the Labour Party (PvdA) had differing opinions on the subject. Both wanted to prevent the repetition of the Great Depression. The Labour Party preferred to grant the government an important regulatory role in the economy, while the KVP preferred to rely on the workings of a self-regulating market economy. A compromise was found in the corporatist model, in which both trade unions and employers' organisations would form sector-based regulatory organisations. The SER headed this structure and served as important partner for the national government. The SER was very important in the reconstruction of the Netherlands after the World War II.

In the 1950s and 60s, the SER was particularly successful in ensuring economic growth through close cooperation between government, trade unions and employers' organisations. In the 1970s, because of rising political polarisation and the 1973 oil crisis, the SER was unable to resolve economic problems. In the 1980s the SER returned to the centre of the economic policy making, as it was the platform for dialogue between the government and its social partners. In the 1990s, the role of the SER began to change. The role of the sector-based regulatory organisations began to decline and the SER increasingly took the role of an advisory council of government; in 1997 the Senate and House of Representatives were granted the right to submit enquiry commissions to the SER.

Goals

The SER has three main goals for Dutch social-economic policy:

Organisation

SER headquarters, The Hague SERDenHaag.JPG
SER headquarters, The Hague

The SER has thirty-three members. It consists of three sections, which each have eleven members in the council. These sections are trade unions, employers' organisations and government-appointed members, the so-called Crown members. The trade union members are appointed from the three major unions: FNV (8), CNV (2) and the MHP (1). The members of the employers' organisations are representatives from the three major employers' organisations: VNO-NCW (7), MKB (3) and the LTO (1). The government-appointed members are normally professors of economics or related fields and they include representatives of the Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis (CPB) and the central bank, De Nederlandsche Bank. The board of the SER is formed by four members of each section. The chair of the organisation is always a government appointee.

The SER heads and oversees the system of sector-based regulatory organisations. These organisations can like other governments, provinces, water boards etc. enforce legislation[ example needed ] for their members, in this case companies. The SER is financed by levies which companies pay to the chambers of commerce. It spends €14 million a year.

Activities

The group has negotiated among other things, agreements in the textile sector, the banking sector and the gold sector. The SER also performs legal and administrative tasks. For example in the field of employee participation, healthy and safe working, employment inspections and pensions.[ clarification needed ]

List of chairs of the Social and Economic Council

PortraitNameTerm of officePrevious experienceParty
Frans de Vries, 1954.jpg Dr.
Frans de Vries
(1884–1958)
1 June 1950 –
15 June 1958
(8 years, 14 days)
[Died]
Professor of Economics at the Erasmus University Rotterdam
(1918–1945)
Rector Magnificus of the Erasmus University Rotterdam
(1921–1922, 1928–1929, 1935–1936)
Professor of Economics at the University of Amsterdam
(1945–1954)
Independent
Vacant
15 June 1958 – 1 July 1958
Prof. G.M. Verrijn Stuart, hoogleraar economie, munt-, krediet- en bankwezen, ha..., 1931.jpg Dr.
Gerard Verrijn Stuart
(1893–1969)
1 July 1958 –
1 May 1964
(5 years, 305 days)
Professor of Economics at the University of Amsterdam
(1952–1962)
Independent
Jan de Pous 1958 (1).jpg Jan de Pous
(1920–1996)
1 May 1964 –
1 February 1985
(20 years, 276 days)
Minister of Economic Affairs
(1959–1963)
Member of the Council of State
(1958–1959)
Christian Historical Union
(1964–1980)
Christian Democratic Appeal
(1980–1985)
Theo Quene (1982).jpg Dr.
Theo Quené
(1930–2011)
1 February 1985 –
1 January 1996
(10 years, 334 days)
Director of the Scientific Council for Government Policy
(1978–1985)
Labour Party
KlaasDeVries2008.jpg Klaas de Vries
(born 1943)
1 January 1996 –
3 August 1998
(2 years, 214 days)
[Res] [Note]
Member of the House of Representatives
(1973–1988)
Labour Party
Vacant
3 August 1998 – 1 January 1999
Herman Wijffels.jpg Dr.
Herman Wijffels
(born 1942)
1 January 1999 –
1 April 2006
(7 years, 90 days)
CEO and Chairman of the Rabobank
(1986–1999)
Christian Democratic Appeal
Alexander Rinnooy Kan cropped.jpg Dr.
Alexander Rinnooy Kan
(born 1949)
1 April 2006 –
1 September 2012
(6 years, 164 days)
Member of the Social and Economic Council
(1991–1996)
Chairman of VNO-NCW
(1991–1996)
Democrats 66
Wiebe Draijer.jpg Wiebe Draijer
(born 1965)
1 September 2012 –
10 September 2014
(2 years, 9 days)
[Res] [Note]
CEO and Chairman of the McKinsey & Company Netherlands
(2003–2012)
Independent
Verticaal portret Mariette Hamer.jpg Mariëtte Hamer
(born 1958)
10 September 2014 –
1 April 2022
(7 years, 203 days)
Member of the House of Representatives
(1998–2014)
Labour Party
Vacant
1 April 2022 – 16 September 2022
Kim Putters.jpg Kim Putters
(born 1973)
16 September 2022 –
Incumbent
(2 years, 293 days)
Member of the Senate
(2003–2013)
Chairman of The Netherlands Institute for Social Research
(2013–2022)
Labour Party
Resigned
Died in office
Resigned when he was appointed as Minister of Social Affairs and Employment in the Second Kok cabinet
Resigned when he was appointed as CEO and Chairman of the Rabobank

Current Members of the Social and Economic Council

Appointed Members of the Social and Economic Council

Appointed Members
MemberAppointedOther function(s)MemberAppointedOther function(s)
Verticaal portret Mariette Hamer.jpg Mariëtte Hamer
(born 1958)
[Chairwoman]
10 September 2014
(10 years, 299 days)
Netherlands politic personality icon.svg Dr.
Pieter Hasekamp
(born 1965)
1 March 2020
(5 years, 127 days)
Director of the
Bureau for Economic
Policy Analysis
Netherlands politic personality icon.svg Luce van Kempen
(born 1995)
1 April 2020
(5 years, 96 days)
Chairwoman of
the Youth Council
Netherlands politic personality icon.svg Dr.
Romke van der Veen
(born 1958)
1 April 2012
(13 years, 96 days)
Professor of Social and
Behavioral Sciences
Erasmus University Rotterdam
Netherlands politic personality icon.svg Dr.
Evert Verhulp
(born 1960)
1 April 2012
(13 years, 96 days)
Professor of Labour Law
University of Amsterdam
KimPutters2012.jpg Dr.
Kim Putters
(born 1973)
1 February 2017
(8 years, 155 days)
Professor of Healthcare
Management
Erasmus University Rotterdam

Director of the Institute
for Social Research
Ed Nijpels 1982 (2).jpg Ed Nijpels
(born 1950)
15 August 2014
(10 years, 325 days)
Chairman of the
Climate Council

Chairman of the
Environment Central
Foundation
Netherlands politic personality icon.svg Dr.
Geert ten Dam
(born 1958)
10 December 2015
(9 years, 208 days)
Professor of Pedagogy
Free University Amsterdam

President of the Council
of the University of Amsterdam
Netherlands politic personality icon.svg Dr.
Maarten Lindeboom
(born 1960)
1 September 2018
(6 years, 308 days)
Professor of Economics
Free University Amsterdam
Netherlands politic personality icon.svg Femke Laagland
(born 1979)
1 July 2020
(6 years, 308 days)
Professor of Labour Law
Radboud University Nijmegen
Netherlands politic personality icon.svg Dr.
Olaf Sleijpen
(born 1975)
1 April 2020
(5 years, 96 days)
Chief Financial Officer
De Nederlandsche Bank
Chairwoman

Trade associations Members of the Social and Economic Council

Trade Associations Members
MemberAppointedRepresentsMemberAppointedRepresents
Hans de Boer at Jong Management, symposium 100 jarig jubileum - 1.jpg Hans de Boer
(born 1955)
[Vice Chairman]
1 July 2014
(11 years, 35 days)
Industry and Employers
Confederation
Netherlands politic personality icon.svg Jacco Vonhof
(born 1970)
1 August 2018
(10 years, 339 days)
Small and Medium-
Sized Association
Netherlands politic personality icon.svg Patricia Hoogstraaten
(born 1959)
1 May 2006
(19 years, 66 days)
Retail
Association
Woerkom 15okt2009.JPG Guido van Woerkom
(born 1955)
1 October 2013
(11 years, 278 days)
Travelers
Association
Netherlands politic personality icon.svg Chris Buijink
(born 1954)
1 June 2013
(12 years, 35 days)
Banking
Association
Netherlands politic personality icon.svg Dirk Beljaarts
(born 1978)
1 January 2019
(6 years, 186 days)
Hospitality
Association
Netherlands politic personality icon.svg Fried Kaanen
(born 1955)
1 April 2017
(8 years, 96 days)
Manufacturing
Association
Netherlands politic personality icon.svg Niels Louwaars
(born 1958)
10 December 2019
(5 years, 208 days)
Horticulture
Association
Netherlands politic personality icon.svg Roderik Pape
(born 1969)
1 April 2020
(5 years, 96 days)
Freelancers
Association
Netherlands politic personality icon.svg Hans van Waayenburg
(born 1957)
15 February 2019
(6 years, 141 days)
CEO of
Capgemini Netherlands
Deputy Trade Associations Members
MemberAppointedRepresentsMemberAppointedRepresents
Ineke Dezentje Hamming-Bluemink.jpg Ineke Dezentjé
Hamming-Bluemink

(born 1954)
1 January 2012
(13 years, 186 days)
Technology Industry
Association
Henk Kamp 2011 (1).jpg Henk Kamp
(born 1952)
1 February 2018
(7 years, 155 days)
Healthcare Providers
Association
PvdA - Ad Melkert2002.jpg Ad Melkert
(born 1956)
1 April 2019
(6 years, 96 days)
Hospitals
Association
Maxime-Verhagen-CDA-DSC 0118 (crop).jpg Maxime Verhagen
(born 1956)
1 October 2015
(9 years, 278 days)
Construction
Association
Netherlands politic personality icon.svg Richard Weurding
(born 1961)
1 April 2006
(19 years, 96 days)
Insurance
Association
Netherlands politic personality icon.svg Leendert-Jan Visser
(born 1971)
1 April 2020
(5 years, 96 days)
Small and Medium-
Sized Association
Netherlands politic personality icon.svg Elisabeth Post
(born 1965)
1 June 2019
(6 years, 35 days)
Transport
Association
Netherlands politic personality icon.svg Henk den Boer
(born 1963)
1 April 2020
(5 years, 96 days)
Maintenance
Association
Vice Chairman by Ex officio as Chairman of the Industry and Employers confederation

Trade union Members of the Social and Economic Council

Trade union Members
MemberAppointedRepresentsMemberAppointedRepresents
Han Busker, FNV.JPG Han Busker
(born 1955)
[Vice Chairman]
1 May 2016
(9 years, 66 days)
Federation of Trade Unions Netherlands politic personality icon.svg Willem Jelle Berg
(born 1969)
1 April 2014
(11 years, 96 days)
National Federation of
Christian Trade Unions
Netherlands politic personality icon.svg Nic van Holstein
(born 1963)
1 September 2015
(9 years, 294 days)
Trade Union of
Professionals
Netherlands politic personality icon.svg Gerrit van de Kamp
(born 1964)
1 April 2019
(6 years, 96 days)
Police Trade Union
Netherlands politic personality icon.svg Jan de Jong
(born 1955)
1 August 2016
(8 years, 339 days)
Federation of Trade
Unions for Seniors
Netherlands politic personality icon.svg Bas van Weegberg
(born 1996)
1 Juli 2019
(6 years, 5 days)
Federation of Trade
Unions for Youth
Netherlands politic personality icon.svg Arend van Wijngaarden
(born 1954)
1 November 2012
(12 years, 247 days)
National Federation of
Christian Trade Unions
Netherlands politic personality icon.svg Zakaria Boufangacha
(born 1973)
1 July 2017
(9 years, 66 days)
Federation of Trade Unions
RS1540 Portret Tuur Elzinga.JPG Tuur Elzinga
(born 1965)
1 July 2017
(8 years, 35 days)
Federation of Trade Unions Netherlands politic personality icon.svg Kitty Jong
(born 1961)
1 July 2017
(8 years, 35 days)
Federation of Trade Unions
Netherlands politic personality icon.svg Judy Hoffer
(born 1970)
1 March 2019
(6 years, 127 days)
Federation of Trade Unions
Vice Chairman by Ex officio as Chairman of the Federation of Trade Unions

See also