Trade unions in the Netherlands

Last updated

Trade Unions play a major role in the corporatist Dutch economy .

Contents

Dynamics

In 2001 about 25% of the Dutch people who were employed were organized in a union. There are three major unions: the Christian-democratic "Christelijk Nationaal Vakverbond (CNV)", the social-democratically oriented "Federatie Nederlandse Vakbeweging (FNV)" and the "Federation of Managerial and Professional Staff Unions (MHP)". All are federations of sector-based labour unions. The FNV is with about 1,4 million members [1] the largest of the three. The CNV has 350.000 [2] members and the MHP 160.000. [3] The FNV has 17 affiliate unions, the CNV 11 and the MHP 4.

The labour unions play a major role in the Dutch economy because, first, they bargain with employers' organizations over wages and working conditions (these deals are binding for all employed people), and second, they advise the government on economic legislation through its membership of the Social-Economic Council (SER). [4]

Traditionally Dutch labour unions were part of the pillarized structure of society. Each social group had a pillar: the Protestants (CNV), the Catholics (NKV, merged into FNV), the social-democrats (NVV, merged into FNV) and the syndicalists (NAS).

See also

Related Research Articles

A trade union or labor union, often simply referred to as a union, is an organisation of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages and benefits, improving working conditions, improving safety standards, establishing complaint procedures, developing rules governing status of employees and protecting and increasing the bargaining power of workers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wim Kok</span> Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 1994 to 2002

Willem "Wim" Kok was a Dutch politician and trade union leader who served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 22 August 1994 until 22 July 2002. He was a member of the Labour Party (PvdA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Politics of the Netherlands</span> Political system of the Netherlands

The politics of the Netherlands take place within the framework of a parliamentary representative democracy. A constitutional monarchy, the country is organised as a decentralised unitary state. The Netherlands can be described as a consociational state. Dutch politics and governance are characterised by a common striving for broad consensus on important issues, within both of the political community and society as a whole.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Socialist Party (Netherlands)</span> Dutch political party

The Socialist Party is a democratic socialist and social democratic political party in the Netherlands. Founded in 1971 as the Communist Party of the Netherlands/Marxist–Leninist, the party has since moderated itself from Marxism–Leninism and Maoism towards democratic socialism and social democracy. The SP has also been described as left-wing populist, far-left and Eurosceptic, and is an advocate of Dutch republicanism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christian National Trade Union Federation</span>

The Christian National Trade Union Federation is a federation of trade unions of the Netherlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Federation of Dutch Trade Unions</span> Dutch national trade union centre

The Federation of Dutch Trade Unions is a national trade union centre in the Netherlands. The FNV is a significant player in the field of work and income. The trade union consists of a central federation, complemented by several sectoral unions representing specific professional groups and sectors. The FNV aims to safeguard the interests of employees, promote fair labor conditions, and protect workers' rights at the national level.

Liberalism in the Netherlands started as an anti-monarchical effort spearheaded by the Dutch statesman Thorbecke, who almost single-handedly wrote the 1848 Constitution of the Netherlands that turned the country into a constitutional monarchy.

The polder model is a method of consensus decision-making, based on the Dutch version of consensus-based economic and social policymaking in the 1980s and 1990s. It gets its name from the Dutch word (polder) for tracts of land enclosed by dikes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European Trade Union Confederation</span> European union federation

The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) is the major trade union organisation representing workers at the European level. In its role as a European social partner, the ETUC works both in a consulting role with the European Commission and negotiates agreements and work programmes with European employers. It coordinates the national and sectoral policies of its affiliates on social and economic matters, particularly in the framework of the EU institutional processes, including European economic governance and the EU Semester.

Ieke van den Burg was a Dutch politician and a Member of the European Parliament (MEP).

The Dutch Confederation of Trade Unions was a Dutch social-democratic trade union.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Social and Economic Council</span>

The Social and Economic Council 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gerda Verburg</span> Dutch politician and diplomat

Gerritje "Gerda" Verburg is a Dutch politician and diplomat of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) party and trade union leader

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mei Li Vos</span> Dutch politician

Mei Li Vos is a Dutch politician, former trade unionist and editorialist. A member of the Labour Party (PvdA), she was a member of the House of Representatives from 1 March 2007 to 17 June 2010 and again from 20 September 2012 until 23 March 2017. She has been a member of the Senate since 11 June 2019, serving as parliamentary leader of the PvdA group until 2023, and First Vice-President of the Senate since then.

Pillarisation is the vertical separation of citizens into groups by religion and associated political beliefs. These societies were divided into two or more groups known as pillars. The best-known examples of this have historically occurred in the Netherlands and Belgium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agnes Jongerius</span> Dutch trade unionist and politician

Agnes Jongerius is a Dutch trade unionist and politician who has been a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the Netherlands since July 2014. She is a member of the Labour Party, part of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats. Between 1987 and 2012 she worked for the Federatie Nederlandse Vakbeweging, a trade union federation. She was chair of the federation between 2005 and 2012.

The Trade Union Federation for Professionals is a national trade union centre bringing together unions representing managers and professionals in the Netherlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liane den Haan</span> Dutch politician and nonprofit director

Natalia Liane den Haan is a Dutch politician and former nonprofit director, who has been a member of the House of Representatives since 2021.

The Federation of Maritime Workers was a trade union representing sailors in the Netherlands.

References

  1. "FNV Vakcentrale". Archived from the original on 2010-10-23. Retrieved 2010-10-24.
  2. "English". Cnv.nl. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  3. "Welkom bij de MHP. De vakcentrale voor middengroepen en hoger personeel". Archived from the original on 2013-02-22. Retrieved 2010-10-24.
  4. "Members of the SER - SER". Ser.nl. Retrieved 5 October 2017.