General Union of Miscellaneous Industries ( nl, Algemene Bedrijfsgroepen Centrale, ABC) was a

general union A general union is a trade union (called ''labor union'' in American English) which represents workers from all industries and companies, rather than just one organisation or a particular sector, as in a craft union or industrial union. A gene ...

in the Netherlands, focusing on manufacturing industries.

History

The union was founded in 1907 by

Roel Stenhuis Roelof Stenhuis (26 March 1885 – 1963) was a Dutch trade union leader and politician. Born in Zuidbroek, he left school at the age of 15 and did a number of jobs before becoming a factory worker. He joined the youth movement of the Socia ...

, as the Dutch Union of Factory Workers. It affiliated to the recently-founded

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 ...

. It initially had only 131 members, and just 386 in 1912, but it grew rapidly during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, and by 1919 had more than 10,000 members. In 1926, the Glass and Pottery Union merged in. On 1 January 1950, the union renamed itself as the "General Union of Miscellaneous Industries". In 1954, the

General Union of Private Sector Hygiene and Household Services The General Dutch Union of Domestic Workers ( nl, Algemene Nederlandse Bond van Huispersoneel, ANBH) was a trade union representing domestic workers in the Netherlands. The union was founded in October 1930, and affiliated to the Dutch Confederati ...

merged in. The

General Dutch Industrial Union of the Tobacco Industry The General Dutch Industrial Union of the Tobacco Industry ( nl, Algemene Nederlandse Bedrijfsbond voor de Tabakverwerking Industrie, ANBTI) was a trade union representing workers involved in making tobacco products in the Netherlands. A Dutch Cig ...

merged in at the start of 1969, followed in 1970 by the

General Dutch Industrial Union of the Mining Industry The General Dutch Industrial Union of the Mining Industry ( nl, Algemene Nederlandse Bedrijfsbond voor de Mijnindustrie, ANBM) was a trade union representing mineworkers in the Netherlands. The union was founded on 22 August 1909, in Heerlen, as ...

. By the end of that year, it had 51,920 members, of whom, 48% worked in the chemical industry, 18% in food production, 11% in ceramics and glass, 10% in paper and printing, 9% in personal services, and the remainder in areas including stoneworking and shoemaking.{{cite book , last1=Ebbinghaus , first1=Bernhard , last2=Visser , first2=Jelle , title=Trade Unions in Western Europe Since 1945 , date=2000 , publisher=Palgrave Macmillan , location=Basingstoke , isbn=0333771125 , pages=463–465 The union merged with the

General Dutch Industrial Union of the Metal and Electronic Industries The General Dutch Metalworkers' Union ( nl, Algemene Nederlandse Metaalbewerkersbond, ANMB) was a trade union representing workers in the metal industry in the Netherlands. The union was founded in 1886, and in 1906, it was a founding affiliate of ...

and the

General Industrial Union of Textiles and Clothing The General Industrial Union of Textiles and Clothing ( nl, Algemene Bedrijfsbond Textiel en Kleding, ABTK), also known as De Eendracht, was a trade union representing workers in the textile and garment industries in the Netherlands. The union was ...

on the 1 January 1972, forming the

Industrial Workers' Union NVV The Industrial Workers' Union NVV ( nl, Industriebond-NVV, IB-NVV) was a general union focused on workers in heavy industry in the Netherlands. The union was founded on 1 January 1972, when the General Dutch Industrial Union of the Metal and Elect ...

Presidents

:1907:

:1921:

Klaas de Jonge Klaas de Jonge (29 June 1887 – 19 April 1958) was a Dutch trade union leader. Born in Hoogezand, de Jonge trained as a printer, then later worked in a factory. He joined the Dutch Union of Factory Workers (NVvFA), and also the Social D ...

:1950:

Menzo ter Borch Menzo ter Borch (1896–1981) was a Dutch people, Dutch trade unionist. Born in Borger, Netherlands, Borger, ter Borch became a glassblower in 1908, working in Nieuw-Buinen, then Schiedam, and then in Nieuw-Buinen. His parents died in the Spanish ...

:1962: Willem Liefaard

References

General unions Trade unions established in 1907 Trade unions disestablished in 1972 Trade unions in the Netherlands