DUTCH TRADE UNIONS

Grey River Argus, 11 September 1940, Page 3

DUTCH TRADE UNIONS

NAZI BOSSES. LONDON. August 2. D.J.F. de Man, formerly London correspondent of Het Volk, (Dutch Labour daily) writes:— When the Nazis established themselves in Holland, they solemnly and emphatically declared that the Dutch people would be allowed to xve thou own lives under their own institutions. The flourishing Trad e Union movement of Holland, with a membership of over 300,000 is now controlled by an obscur e Dutch , Nazi named Woudtenberg. This Woudenberg is the brother of C. Woudenberg, the secretary of the Dutch Labour Party. He was taken up by ,th<i, Dutch Nazi Party becaus e ol hie name In the years before the, war, the Dutch Nazis employed the trick of announcing meetings at which “Woudenberg” was to speak. They hoped than an audience would assemble in the belief they were going to hear Woudenberg, the trusted Labour leader _ . Th P Nazi Woudenberg formed na own National-Socialist Trade Union. It never had more than 5,000 members. To-day this Dutch Nazi, wnose only' claim to fame is that he bears th/ nam e of his brother, has replaced the Union leadcr s chosen by the workers of Holland. The General Council of Dutch Trade Unions has been swept aside. Evert Kupers, the President of the Council, and his colleagues have been forbidden to lake any further pail in the organisation they have built up during th P past thirty years. The Dutcn Labour Party has suffered flu. same fate. Th e Reich Commissioner ol the occupied Nolherfands has dismissed the entire Council of thp Party, a Party representing a quarter of th e Dutch people. The Dutch Nazi Party, which only polled Four per cent, of the votes In the last elections, has now seized all the possessions of the Labour Party Thp new head of the “Labour’ Party in Holland is Rost Van Tonningen, a bitter opponent of the Labour movement. H P has been described as a man who “knows nothing hut hate” Before th e Germans invaded Holland, the Dutch Government declared that a state of s.ige existed in the country. At the same time 21 Dutch Fifth Columnists, whos-, activities were considered ixi rente'.v dangerous, were arrested. Rost Van Tonningen was one of tnesr--twentv-onp. traitors. When tne vasion came, th ; were taken Io France. Now they have return d to Holland. . , .. Th.' Dutch Labour Partv had its own paper, Het Volk, and its own rhd'o-station. They have both been seized. ~ . ■ The Dutch Nazis had their own paper, Het Nationale Dagblad. The manager of the printing works pto-

ducing this paper—one Kerkmeester —has now been appointed controller of the “Labour” Press by Van Tonn ingen. The Dutch Trade Unions had contributed over £500,000 to Het Volk. Nearly £300,000 more was contributed by readers and members of the Labour Party. The machinery and plant bought by thi s money is now in Nazi, hands, turning out Goeb-bels-inspired hate and lies.