Abraham Buijs (7 September 1923 – 4 January 1987) was a

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

trade unionist A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

and politician. Born in

Arnemuiden Arnemuiden is a city#Netherlands, city of around 5000 people in the municipality of Middelburg, Zeeland, Middelburg in the province of Zeeland in the Netherlands. It is located on the former island of Walcheren, about 3 km east of the city of ...

, Buijs became a

carpenter Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. Carpenter ...

and joined the

General Dutch Construction Union The General Dutch Construction Union (, ANB) was a trade union representing workers in the construction industry in the Netherlands. History The union was founded on 11 January 1920, when the General Dutch Carpenters' Union merged with the Cent ...

(ANB). He also joined the Labour Party, winning election to the local council in

Vlissingen Vlissingen (; ) is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality and a city in the southwestern Netherlands on the island of Walcheren. With its strategic location between the Scheldt river and the North Sea, Vlissingen has been an importan ...

in 1949. In 1954, he became secretary of the ANB's

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

branch, and in 1964 he became its president. As leader of the union, he took it into successive mergers, forming the General Dutch Union of Building and Wood Industries, and then the Construction and Wood Union. In 1969, he also became president of the

International Federation of Building and Wood Workers The International Federation of Building and Wood Workers (IFBWW) was a global union federation of trade unions in the building, building materials, wood, forestry and allied industries. History The federation was established in 1934 by a merg ...

. He retired from all his posts in 1985 and died two years later.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Buijs, Bram 1923 births 1987 deaths Dutch trade unionists Labour Party (Netherlands) politicians People from Middelburg, Zeeland