The General Dutch Association for Trade and Office Clerks and Travelling Salesmen (, often known as Mercurius, was a

trade union 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 ...

representing white collar workers in the Netherlands. The union was established on 1 October 1940, during

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 ...

. The Nazi occupiers merged the General Dutch Union of Trade and Office Workers, an affiliate of the

Dutch Confederation of Trade Unions The Dutch Confederation of Trade Unions (, NVV) was a Dutch social-democratic trade union. History The NVV was founded in 1906 as a merger of fifteen smaller unions, as a result of the inability of the previous unions to control the radical ele ...

(NVV), with the independent Mercurius union. Soon after, the union was banned entirely, but it was revived in 1945, and the representatives of the former unions decided to maintain the merger, and to affiliate to the NVV. In 1947, the union absorbed the Dutch Union of Insurance Agents and Collectors. However, in 1952, when the NVV decided to reorganise its affiliates as

industrial union Industrial unionism is a trade union organising method through which all workers in the same industry are organized into the same union, regardless of skill or trade, thus giving workers in one industry, or in all industries, more leverage in ba ...

s, it lost many members to unions representing their industries. It took the official name General Union Mercurius, Industrial Union for Trade, Banking and Insurance, and Free Professions. By 1964, it had 31,030 members, and by 1980 this had grown to 61,397. Of these, 47% worked in commerce, 15% in cultural services, 9% in business services, 8% in banking, 6% in social services, and 4% in public administration. In 1977, the union became the Services Union, while still remaining popularly known as "Mercurius". It formed a federation with the rival Services Union NKV in 1975, and the two unions merged completely in 1981, forming the Services Union.{{cite book , last1=Grootings , first1=Peter , title=Industrial Conflict in the Netherlands, 1969-1974 , date=1975 , publisher=Sociologisch Instituut van de Katholieke Universiteit , pages=27, 33

Presidents

:1945: A. J. Wamsteeker :1960: C. Z. de Vries :c.1970: Jan Brouwer

References

Clerical trade unions Trade unions established in 1940 Trade unions disestablished in 1981 Trade unions in the Netherlands