# Christian National Trade Union Federation

The Christian National Trade Union Federation (Dutch: 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 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" (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 (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' federations. It also advises government via the Social Economic Council 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 class struggle 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.
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. 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 served between 2002 and 2007 as CDA minister of Social Affairs and Employment for instance.

## Affiliates
### Current affiliates

| Union | Abbreviation | Founded |
| Professionals Union | Vakmensen | 2010 |
| Connectief | Connectief | 2015 |
| Youth Union | Jongeren | 1955 |

### Former affiliates

| Union | Abbreviation | Founded | Left | Reason not affiliated | Membership (1965) |
| Arts Union | Kunstenbond | 1981 | 2011 | Merged into Vakmensen | 80 |
| Association of Christian Teachers in Technical Schools | | | | | 1,100 |
| Business Union | Bedrijvenbond | 1998 | 2010 | Merged into Vakmensen | N/A |
| Catholic Education Association | KOV | 1979 | 1996 | Merged into Onderwijs | N/A |
| Central Union of Dutch Christian Industrial Workers | CBC | 1916 | 1971 | Merged into CBC-Unitas | 22,000 |
| Christian Association of Non-Commissioned Officers | | | 1981 | Merged into ACOM | 3,200 |
| Christian Metal Industry Union in the Netherlands | CMB | 1901 | 1972 | Merged into IB | 26,000 |
| Christian Union of Cigar Makers and Tobacco Workers in the Netherlands | | | 1969 | Merged into CBWAT | 1,300 |
| Christian Union of Hairdressers | | | | | 350 |
| Christian Union of Workers in Agricultural and Tobacco | CBWAT | 1969 | 1971 | Merged into Voedingsbond | N/A |
| Dutch Central Union of Christian Workers in the Food and Drink Industries | | | 1971 | Merged into Voedingsbond | 5,000 |
| Dutch Christian Agricultural Workers' Union | | | 1969 | Merged into CBWAT | 30,000 |
| Dutch Christian Association of Pharmaceutical Assistants | | | | | 330 |
| Dutch Christian Civil Servants' Union | NCB | 1952 | 1964 | Split | N/A |
| Dutch Christian Clerical Union | | | | | 16,000 |
| Dutch Christian Printing Union | | | | | 5,400 |
| Dutch Christian Union of Dental Technicians | | | | | 64 |
| Dutch Christian Union of Domestic Workers | | | | | 300 |
| Dutch Christian Union of Executives | | | | | 250 |
| Dutch Christian Union of Government Workers | NCBO | 1946 | 1982 | Merged into Public | 35,000 |
| Dutch Christian Union of Salesmen | | | | | 700 |
| Dutch Christian Union of Workers in the Textile and Clothing Industries | | | | | 8,400 |
| Dutch Christian Workers' Organisation in Indonesia | | | | | 1,800 |
| Education Union | Onderwijs | 1996 | 2015 | Merged into Connectief | N/A |
| Food Union | Voedingsbond | 1971 | 1983 | Merged into Industrie en Voedingsbond | N/A |
| General Christian Organisation of Military Personnel | ACOM | 1982 | | | N/A |
| General Christian Police Union | ACP | 1981 | | | N/A |
| General Roman Catholic Civil Servants' Association | ARKA | 1918 | 1982 | Merged into Public | N/A |
| Industry and Food Union | Industrie en Voedingsbond | 1983 | 1998 | Merged into Bedrijvenbond | N/A |
| Industrial Workers' Union | IB | 1973 | 1983 | Merged into Industrie en Voedingsbond | N/A |
| Marechaussee Union | MARVER | 1907 | 1999 | Transferred to FNV | |
| Protestant Christian Association of Mining Supervisors | | | | | 560 |
| Protestant Christian Journalists' Union | | | | | 175 |
| Protestant Christian Mineworkers' Union | PCMB | | | | 1,075 |
| Protestant Christian Teachers' Association | PCO | 1974 | 1996 | Merged into Onderwijs | N/A |
| Public Union | Public | 1983 | 2015 | Merged into Connectief | N/A |
| Services Union | Dienstenbond | 1964 | 2015 | Merged into Vakmensen |
| Sextons' Union | Kostersbond | | 2020 | Merged into Connectief | 500 |
| Transport Union | Vervoersbond | 1903 | 1998 | Merged into Bedrijvenbond | 8,500 |
| Union of Christian Police Staff in the Netherlands | BCPAN | 1916 | 1981 | Merged into ACP | 5,000 |
| Wood and Construction Union | Hout en Bouw | 1955 | 2010 | Merged into Vakmensen | 31,000 |

## 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
    1986: Henk Hofstede
    1992: Anton Westerlaken
    1998: Doekle Terpstra
    2005: Josine Westerbeek-Huitink
    2005: René Paas
    2009: Bert van Boggelen
    2010: Jaap Smit
    2014: Maurice Limmen
    2018: Arend van Wijngaarden
    2020: Piet Fortuin