The General Diamond Workers' Union of the Netherlands (Dutch: ''Algemene Nederlandse Diamantbewerkers Bond''; abbreviated ANDB) was a trade union for diamond workers in the Netherlands from 1894 to the 1920s. In 1893, the

National Labor Secretariat The National Labor Secretariat (, NAS) was a trade union federation in the Netherlands from 1893 to 1940. Early years In the late 1880s and early 1890s the idea that trade unions should no longer be branches of the Social Democratic League (SDB ...

(NAS) was founded as a national trade union center based on syndicalist principles with a weak and unpaid central board. The General Diamond Workers' Union of the Netherlands, on the other hand, followed the German model, meaning that it had a centralized structure, loyalty and strong discipline among the rank and file, paid union leaders, and high membership dues allowing for a large strike fund. The ANDB did not join the NAS because of these differences. Its founding was the result of a strike in the diamond industry in 1894. Jews made up a significant portion of diamond workers; some seventy percent of its members lived in or near Jewish quarters. There had been friction between Jewish and non-Jewish diamond workers in the past. Nevertheless, this strike managed to unify workers in this industry and the ANDB encompassed both, though this would sometimes lead to conflict. Unlike the NAS, which also had political goals, the ANDB focused solely on improving workers' conditions. It struggled for the

eight-hour day The eight-hour day movement (also known as the 40-hour week movement or the short-time movement) was a social movement to regulate the length of a working day, preventing excesses and abuses of working time. The modern movement originated i ...

, achieving a nine-hour work day in 1905. Beyond that, the ANDB was also active in attempting to enrich its members' cultural life. It ran a library and organized cultural events. Instead of joining the NAS, the ANDB was one of the primary founders of the

Dutch Confederation of Trade Unions The Dutch Confederation of Trade Unions (, 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 previous unions to control the radical ele ...

(NVV) in 1906. Little of the industry survived after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, and although the union was reformed after the war, it was on a very small scale. In 1958, it merged into the General Dutch Metalworkers' Union.Hofmeester

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Bibliography

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External links

Archief ANDB
at the

International Institute of Social History International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

{{Authority control Trade unions in the Netherlands 1894 establishments in the Netherlands 1958 disestablishments in the Netherlands Trade unions established in 1894 Trade unions disestablished in 1958