The Christian National Trade Union Federation ( nl, Christelijk Nationaal Vakverbond, CNV) is a federation of trade unions of the Netherlands.

History

The CNV was founded on 13 May 1909, in Arnhem as a federation of several Christian unions. It was founded in reaction to the socialist Dutch Confederation of Trade Unions (NVV), which was founded in 1906. The CNV was more moderate than the NVV. It opposed the idea of

class struggle Class conflict, also referred to as class struggle and class warfare, is the political tension and economic antagonism that exists in society because of socio-economic competition among the social classes or between rich and poor. The forms ...

and instead oriented itself towards a corporatist model of the economy. It was an interconfessional union, intended to represent both Protestant and Roman Catholic workers. In 1912, however, the Roman Catholic bishops spoke out against interconfessional unions. All Roman Catholics left CNV and founded a separate Roman Catholic union, the RKWV "

Rooms-Katholieke Werklieden Verbond 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 ...

" (Roman Catholic Workers' Union). The CNV orientated itself towards the Protestant Anti-Revolutionary Party, with which it formed the Protestant pillar. After World War II, the corporatist model, which the CNV advocated was introduced in the Netherlands, this was combined with a strong welfare state. Unions received more influence in Dutch politics: the CNV became part of the Social-Economic Council an advisory board of government composed of representatives from unions, employers' organisations and independent scientists. Because of the depillarisation of Dutch society and the rising political polarisation between left and right, the three major unions, the socialist NVV, the Protestant CNV and 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) began to open talks in order to found one single federation of Dutch unions. In 1974 the CNV left those talks. In 1976 the NVV and NKV merged to form the Federation of Dutch Trade Unions (FNV), which was led by Wim Kok.

Activities

The most important function of CNV is the CAO-talks, over 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 via 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 unions, the employers' organisations and government appointed experts also have seats.

Ideology

The CNV started out as a moderate, Christian-democratic union, which was opposed to

and workers' ownership of the means of production. Gradually, however, it oriented itself towards cooperation with the employers' organisations and a corporatist model of the economy. The CNV still prefers cooperating with employers over strikes. In recent years it has been more successful in adapting to new societal trends compared to the FNV. It has founded a youth union, CNV-jongeren to address the issues of the ageing population and it has campaigned on issues of international cooperation with a separate organisation called CNV international.

Organisation

The CNV is a federation of three affiliated trade unions. Its board is formed by four daily board members (a chairman, a vice-chairman, a secretary and a treasurer), and the chairs of the affiliated unions. The CNV has around 355,000 members. The current chair is

Maurice Limmen Maurice may refer to: People *Saint Maurice (died 287), Roman legionary and Christian martyr *Maurice (emperor) or Flavius Mauricius Tiberius Augustus (539–602), Byzantine emperor * Maurice (bishop of London) (died 1107), Lord Chancellor and L ...

. Although the CNV is formally independent of other organisations there are strong ideological and personal links with the CDA. Former CNV vice chair

Aart-Jan de Geus Aart Jan de Geus (born 28 July 1955) is a retired Dutch politician of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) party and businessman. He served as Minister of Labor and Social Affairs from 2002 to 2007. Then he worked as Deputy Secretary-General for ...

served between 2002 and 2007 as CDA minister of Social Affairs and Employment for instance.

Affiliates

Current affiliates

Former affiliates

Presidents

:1909: Hendrik Diemer :1916: Klaas Kruithof :1935: Antoon Stapelkamp :1947: Marinus Ruppert :1959: Cor van Mastrigt :1964: Jan van Eibergen :1969: Jan Lanser :1978:

Harm van der Meulen Harm van der Meulen (21 October 1925, Castricum - 20 October 2007, Utrecht (city), Utrecht) was a Dutch trade unionist and politician. See also

*List of Dutch politicians 1925 births 2007 deaths People from Castricum Christian Democr ...

:1986: Henk Hofstede :1992: Anton Westerlaken :1998: Doekle Terpstra :2005: Josine Westerbeek-Huitink :2005:

René Paas Frederik Johannes "René" Paas (; born 16 September 1966) is a Dutch politician of the Christian Democratic Appeal. He was chairman of the Christelijk Nationaal Vakverbond from 2005 to 2009. He has been the King's Commissioner in the province of ...

:2009: Bert van Boggelen :2010:

Jaap Smit Jaap Smit (born 8 March 1957) is a Dutch preacher, manager, trade unionist and government official serving as the King's Commissioner of South Holland since 2014. A member of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), he previously led the Christia ...

:2014: Maurice Limmen :2018: Arend van Wijngaarden :2020: Piet Fortuin

References

External links

Archief CNV
at the International Institute of Social History {{Authority control International Trade Union Confederation European Trade Union Confederation 1909 establishments in the Netherlands National trade union centers of the Netherlands Trade unions established in 1909