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In October 1999, while a number of member unions of the Dutch Trade Union Federation (FNV) examined mergers aimed at maintaining their strength, a major internal conflict flared up within the AbvaKabo civil servants' union, one of FNV's largest affiliates. Meanwhile, FNV's membership growth has stagnated.
In October 1999, several member unions of the Dutch Trade Union Federation (Federatie Nederlandse Vakbeweging, FNV) were contemplating mergers aimed at maintaining their strength and influence. Allied Unions (FNV Bondgenoten) and a former competitor, the independent, non-affiliated railway workers' union (Federatieve Spoorweg Vakvereniging, FSV), have chosen to collaborate and to investigate a potential merger. Together, the unions represent half of the employees of Dutch Railways (Nederlandse Spoorwegen, NS) (13,000 out of 23,000). The move towards cooperation is a reaction to the splitting-up of NS, which has resulted in a number of public transportation companies increasingly taking over management of different sections of the network. FSV, which has always taken a more radical position than Bondgenoten, fears that its membership will decline as a result of the division of NS. Furthermore, the viewpoints adopted by the two unions are beginning to overlap.
There are also merger developments among unions representing military staff, with the 6,000-strong Military Police Association (Marechausseevereniging) withdrawing from the Christian Trade Union Federation (Christelijk Nationaal Vakverbond, CNV) to join the FNV-affiliated General Federation of Military Personnel( Algemene Federatie voor Militair Personeel l, AFMP), which has 20,000 members. The move was prompted by the fact that AFMP is the Ministry of Defence's discussion partner on subjects relating to the army's future, and the Military Police Association wishes to continue participating in talks and decision-making at the highest possible level.
Tension is mounting within AbvaKabo, the main union representing civil servants and one of FNV's largest members. The union's current director will leave office within a year, following the early departure of his predecessor. Sources put the blame for the present director's departure on AbvaKabo's current board, whose behaviour has been strongly criticised, and the former director also cited conflicts with the board as the reason for leaving. The works council for AbvaKabo staff was shocked by the announcement of the current director's departure and regrets the board's decision to run the organisation itself. The works council has demanded an external investigation, and its chair has called for the appointment of an active director who will help AbvaKabo to compete against private insurers, who provide services similar to those provided by the union. Membership growth is currently stagnating, with 1999 marking the first decline in years, and the works council chair fears that membership will dwindle in future. Bondgenoten, FNV's largest affiliate, is also uneasy about the AbvaKabo's internal troubles. Overall, FNV 's growth in membership has slowed to a mere 0.3% in 1999, which is particularly low compared with the growth in employment.