The Federation of Dutch Trade Unions ( nl, Federatie Nederlandse Vakbeweging, FNV) is a

national trade union centre A national trade union center (or national center or central) is a federation or confederation of trade unions in a country. Nearly every country in the world has a national trade union center, and many have more than one. In some regions, such a ...

in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. In addition to member unions, workers in many sectors can join the FNV directly.

History

The FNV was founded in 1976 from the merger of the

Dutch Catholic Trade Union Federation The Dutch Catholic Trade Union Federation ( nl, Nederlands Katholiek Vakverbond, NKV) was a national trade union centre bringing together Catholic trade unions in the Netherlands. The federation was established in 1925, as the Roman Catholic Worke ...

(NKV) and the social-democratic

Dutch Confederation of Trade Unions The Dutch Confederation of Trade Unions ( nl, Nederlands Verbond van Vakverenigingen, NVV) was a Dutch social-democratic trade union. History The NVV was founded in 1906 as a merger of fifteen smaller unions, as a result of the inability of the p ...

(NVV). The Protestant Christian National Trade Union Federation (CNV) originally also participated in the talks, but it refused to fully merge into a new union. The federation was founded because of declining membership, due to depillarisation and increasing political polarisation between left and right. The first president of the FNV was

Wim Kok Willem "Wim" Kok (; 29 September 1938 – 20 October 2018) was a Dutch politician and trade union leader who served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 22 August 1994 until 22 July 2002.Dutch Labour Party The Labour Party ( nl, Partij van de Arbeid, , abbreviated as ''PvdA'', or ''P van de A'', ) is a social-democratic political party in the Netherlands. The party was founded in 1946 as a merger of the Social Democratic Workers' Party, the Free ...

. The NKV and the NVV dissolved themselves into the FNV at the start of 1982. The FNV was crucial in the economic recovery in the Netherlands during the 1980s. It supported the so-called

Wassenaar Agreement The Wassenaar Agreement was an agreement reached in 1982 between employers' organisations and labour unions in the Netherlands to restrain wage growth in return for the adoption of policies to combat unemployment and inflation, such as reductions ...

, where employee accepted lower wages in exchange for more employment. During the 1990s the FNV came into a heavy conflict over reforms of the WAO, the disabled act, with the cabinet Lubbers-III, in which the party's former chair, Kok, was vice-prime minister. The proposals were consequently dropped. In the 2000s the FNV came into conflict with the

Second Balkenende cabinet The second Balkenende cabinet was the executive branch of the Government of the Netherlands from 27 May 2003 until 7 July 2006. The cabinet was formed by the Christian-democratic Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), the conservative-liberal Peop ...

over the AOW, the old aged act, and the WAO, the disabilities act. A huge protest was organized in Amsterdam in 2004. The FNV became a leading member in "Keer het Tij" (Turn the Tide) an alliance of social organizations that opposed the cabinet and became involved in organizing the Dutch Social Forum, the Dutch branch of the

World Social Forum The World Social Forum (WSF, pt, Fórum Social Mundial ) is an annual meeting of civil society organizations, first held in Brazil, which offers a self-conscious effort to develop an alternative future through the championing of counter-hegemoni ...

in 2004 and 2006. In 2012 the FNV almost split due to a conflict between the more radical wing and the moderates on the issue of

pensions A pension (, from Latin ''pensiō'', "payment") is a fund into which a sum of money is added during an employee's employment years and from which payments are drawn to support the person's retirement from work in the form of periodic payments ...

. The split was averted, but led to a complete overhaul of the organizational model of the FNV. In late 2014, the largest three affiliates of the FNV, the

Allied Union The Allied Union ( nl, Bondgenoten, Bond) was a general union representing workers in the Netherlands. History The union was founded in 1998, with the merger of the Food Workers' Union, the Industrial Workers' Union, the Services Union, and the ...

Construction and Wood Union The Construction and Wood Union ( nl, Bouw en Houtbond, B&HB) was a trade union representing workers in the construction and woodworking industries in the Netherlands. The union was founded on 1 January 1982, when the General Dutch Union of the Bui ...

, and

Abvakabo Abvakabo was a trade union representing public sector and postal workers in the Netherlands. The union was founded in 1982, when the General Union of Civil Servants (ABVA) merged with the Catholic Union of Government Personnel (KABO). It affiliat ...

, dissolved into the federation.

Ideology

The FNV started out as a neutral union but has a strong social-democratic orientation and strong links with the social-democratic PvdA. It is critical of both government and employers, but is also heavily incorporated in the Dutch pillarist (corporatist) system. Compared to the CNV, the other major

trade union centre A national trade union center (or national center or central) is a federation or confederation of trade unions in a country. Nearly every country in the world has a national trade union center, and many have more than one. In some regions, such a ...

, the FNV is more leftwing and has more often used strikes, although the use of these actions is rare in the Netherlands in comparison to other European countries. Although the FNV is formally independent of other organizations there are strong ideological and personal links with the social-democratic PvdA in what is known as the

pillarisation Pillarisation (from the nl, verzuiling) is the politico-denominational segregation of a society into groups by religion and associated political beliefs. These societies were (and in some areas, still are) vertically divided into two or more gr ...

. Former FNV chair

Wim Kok Willem "Wim" Kok (; 29 September 1938 – 20 October 2018) was a Dutch politician and trade union leader who served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 22 August 1994 until 22 July 2002.Prime Minister of the Netherlands The prime minister of the Netherlands ( nl, Minister-president van Nederland) is the head of the executive branch of the Government of the Netherlands. Although the monarch is the ''de jure'' head of government, the prime minister ''de facto'' ...

, between 1994 and 2002. Politicians from other Dutch parties also have their background in FNV, former leader of the Dutch

GreenLeft GroenLinks (, ) is a green political party in the Netherlands. It was formed on 1 March 1989 from the merger of four left-wing parties: the Communist Party of the Netherlands, the Pacifist Socialist Party, the Political Party of Radicals and t ...

Paul Rosenmöller was one of the leaders of the FNV in the Rotterdam harbours.

Activities

The most important function of FNV are the collective bargaining negotiations, on wages and secondary working conditions, it holds with the

employers' federation An employers' organization or employers' association is a collective organization of manufacturers, retailers, or other employers of wage labor. Employers' organizations seek to coordinate the behavior of their member companies in matters of mutua ...

s. It also advises government through the

Social Economic Council 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 par ...

in which other trade unions, employers' organizations and government appointed experts also have seats. FNV also helps members individually when legal action is required. Lawyers of the FNV help members with questions about employment law, pensions, occupational diseases, personal injury, debt collection processes and social security.

Organisation

The FNV is both a

labour union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

(consisting of different sectors) as well as a labour federation (with affiliated independent unions). Both these sectors and affiliated unions are represented in the FNV parliament, which is directly elected by the membership. The number of seats per sector/affiliated union is determined by their membership in proportion to the total membership of the FNV. The parliament represents the membership, creates "overarching" policy and oversees the board. The parliament also elects the board (except the chairman, who is directly elected by the membership). The current chairman is Tuur Elzinga.

Sectors

Affiliates

Current affiliates

Former affiliates

Presidents

:1976:

References

External links

FNV trade union central site
{{Authority control Trade unions in the Netherlands International Trade Union Confederation European Trade Union Confederation Trade unions established in 1976 National trade union centers of the Netherlands