Strikes at the Port of Amsterdam following job pool bankruptcy

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Amsterdam and Rotterdam dock workers took industrial action in October 1997 to place pressure on harbour companies to revive a bankrupt "job pool".

Amsterdam dock workers went on strike shortly after the bankruptcy of the "job" or "labour pool" - the alliance of dock companies that supplies workers depending on the demand for labour (NL9709136N) - and on 14 October 1997 the harbour was brought to a virtual standstill. Three days later, 100 dock workers blocked the sluice gates in IJmuiden, making all shipments to and from Amsterdam impossible. Moreover, in spite of a ban on calls to strike that was issued by the Rotterdam court, approximately 150 members of the Rotterdam job pool organised wildcat solidarity strikes to support their Amsterdam colleagues. The chair of the works council of the Rotterdam job pool has since been dismissed for calling the strike.

After the Second World War, job pools were established in Amsterdam and Rotterdam to deal with fluctuations in work loads at the dock companies. After several reorganisations, the job pool in Rotterdam currently employs 950 workers, while the one in Amsterdam employed about 315 on the eve of its bankruptcy. Both pools were privatised in 1994, and although the Government provided some initial financial support through the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment, these reserves have been depleted in Amsterdam, and are on the verge of depletion in Rotterdam.

The Amsterdam job pool was declared bankrupt at the beginning of October 1997. The official receiver of the bankruptcy wished to establish a new job pool for 150 of the 315 employees made redundant. These employees would receive a contract for a four-day working week of 36 hours, and would earn 80% of their former wage. The remaining employees were to be registered with a temporary employment agency, and left to the caprice of the market.

Negotiations on the re-establishment of the job pool have been strained. The unions demand that the rates that employers must pay to use the job pool must cover its costs, while one of the Amsterdam dock companies consistently refuses to sign the agreement. The unions are now preparing industrial action measures to place pressure on this company in order to gain its cooperation.

On 20 October, it was announced that, over the following two weeks, the consultancy firm Coopers & Lybrand would investigate the feasibility of creating a new and smaller job pool. The unions have suspended their actions pending this investigation. In the meantime, trade unions and employers are continuing their talks about a possible merger of the Amsterdam and the Rotterdam job pools.