Dutch union membership rises

The FNV, the Netherlands' largest trade union confederation, reported an increase in members last month. By 1 July 2001 membership had climbed to 1,229,400 compared with 1,226,500 on 1 January 2001. However, this is only a modest recovery. Union membership is below the figure of 1,241,400 reached in July 1999 and, as FNV president Lodewijk de Waal pointed out, union membership growth is "below the growth in the employed population".

One recent addition to the ranks of the FNV is the organisation representing the highway and border police force, the Marechaussee. The numbers are small but almost all are in the union.