Menzo ter Borch (1896–1981) 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. Born in Borger, ter Borch became a glassblower in 1908, working in

Nieuw-Buinen Nieuw-Buinen is a village in the Dutch province of Drenthe. It is a part of the municipality of Borger-Odoorn, and lies about north of Emmen. The village was first mentioned in 1840 as Nieuw-Buinen. It is a peat excavation village which was f ...

, then

Schiedam Schiedam () is a large town and municipality in the west of the Netherlands. It is located in the Rotterdam–The Hague metropolitan area, west of the city Rotterdam, east of the town Vlaardingen and south of the city Delft. In the south, Schi ...

, and then in Nieuw-Buinen. His parents died in the

Spanish flu The 1918–1920 flu pandemic, also known as the Great Influenza epidemic or by the common misnomer Spanish flu, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 subtype of the influenza A virus. The earliest docum ...

epidemic of 1918, and he then became responsible for bringing up some of his younger siblings. Ter Borch joined the Glass and Pottery union, and from 1921 was an unpaid member of its executive. In 1926, it merged into the Dutch Union of Factory Workers (NVvFA). He also joined the Social Democratic Workers' Party, becoming in 1923 one of its first members to win election to the

Stadskanaal Stadskanaal () is a town and municipality with a population of 32,715 in the province of Groningen in the northeast of the Netherlands. It was named after the canal Stadskanaal. From 1800 until 1900 this area was ideal for its peat mining, and so ...

local council. In 1931, ter Borch began working for the union full-time, moving to

Groningen Groningen ( , ; ; or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen (province), Groningen province in the Netherlands. Dubbed the "capital of the north", Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of ...

, and was also appointed to its executive. He was soon elected to the council in Groningen. At the start of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he tried to leave the country, but was prevented from doing so. In 1940, he was appointed to the Groningen Provincial Council, as a replacement for F. J. Schaper, who was trying to maintain a low profile in the hope of avoiding persecution. In 1941, both councils were disbanded by the occupying Nazis, and the union was taken over by them, leading ter Borch to resign from it. In 1941, ter Borch was arrested and placed in concentration camps until 1943, when he was unexpectedly released. He returned to working as a glassblower, to support his family, until the end of the war. The councils were then reconstituted, ter Borch again taking his seat, and he also became prominent in reconstructing the trade union movement. Ter Borch became the chief administrator of the NVvFA in 1946, and then in 1950 became president of the renamed

General Union of Miscellaneous Industries General Union of Miscellaneous Industries (, ABC) was a general union in the Netherlands, focusing on manufacturing industries. History The union was founded in 1907 by Roel Stenhuis, as the Dutch Union of Factory Workers (, NVvFA). It affiliated ...

(ABC), moving to

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. In 1954, he additionally became general secretary of the International Federation of Industrial Organisations and General Workers' Unions (IFF). He retired from the leadership of the ABC in 1961, and the IFF in 1964, but remained active in the trade union movement in retirement.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Borch, Menzo ter 1896 births 1981 deaths Dutch trade unionists People from Borger-Odoorn Social Democratic Workers' Party (Netherlands) politicians