The many and often wildcat strikes in the port of Rotterdam were caused by the extremely flexible labor market in the port in the first half of the twentieth century, and not by the ideological influence of radical left political groups. This is one of the conclusions in Evert Smit's PhD research. He will defend his thesis on Thursday 30 May at the University of Amsterdam.
Smit shows that the pattern of many strikes that took place in the port of Rotterdam from 1889 onwards, deviates strongly from what is dominant in Dutch labor relations, usually referred to as the polder model. The strikes were present in the port of Rotterdam throughout the twentieth century and to some extent live on to this day.
The strikes were not the result of ideological influence from radical left political groups. “The dock workers previously had an anti-political attitude, but did not turn down the help of left-wing radical unions or political organizations,” explains Smit. “The strike pattern arose at the beginning of the twentieth century as a pragmatic reaction of the workers to the extremely flexible labor market in the port, the system of 'loose labour'. It continued after the Second World War, because the manual handling of general cargo (barrels, crates and the like) did not lend itself to mechanization. This meant that the dock workers – unlike factory workers – retained a high degree of autonomy in the labor process, and thus vis-à-vis their supervisors.” Smit attributes the fact that the strikes continue to this day, even after the container has replaced the traditional general cargo transhipment, to a culture that is characteristic of the port.
Captivated by the harbor
Smit became fascinated by the port of Rotterdam at a young age. During his student days he started working as a lasher in the harbor and was closely involved in the strike of 1979. After graduating, he went to work for the Municipal Port of Rotterdam from 1986 to 1990 and was intensively involved in labor relations in the port. In his current position as a researcher and advisor at Basis &Policy Organization Advisors, he also has regular meetings with port companies in Rotterdam.