Henk Oosterhuis
 Henk Oosterhuis    (union leader) | |
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| Born | 20 April 1893 |
| Died | 21 January 1962 (Age 68) |
| Nationality | Dutch |
| Party | Labour Party (Netherlands) |
Attended the first Bilderberg as President of the Netherlands Federation of Trade Unions, and also the 1956 Bilderberg
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Hendrik (Henk) Oosterhuis was President of the Netherlands Federation of Trade Unions (NVV). He ttended the first Bilderberg as President of the Netherlands Federation of Trade Unions, and also the 1956 Bilderberg, as well as attending the 1948 Hague Congress calling for a political, economic and monetary Union of Europe.
Background
Oosterhuis attended primary school for only five years and then had to go to work.
Career
He was part of the municipal council for the Social Democratic Workers' Party in Oude Pekela from 1919 to 1931, and was an alderman there from 1923 to 1926 and from 1927 to 1931. In the 1930s, Oosterhuis became involved in the national leadership of the NVV. He was part of the board, and remained involved in it, even after the board was dismissed by the German occupier in 1940. Oosterhuis sometimes wrote for the illegal magazine De Vakbeweging.
Oosterhuis participated in the discussions around the founding of the merged Labour Party PvdA in 1946. From 1946 to 1960 Oosterhuis was a member of the First Chamber for the PvdA. He was chairman of the NVV from 1949 to 1956. In the years 1945-1953 he also acted as chairman of the Council of Trade Unions. From 1950 to 1960 he was part of the Social and Economic Council and was a member of the Benelux parliament.[1]
Oosterhuis was also a member of the board of the International Federation of Free Trade Associations. He was also vice chairman of the then Dutch Organisation for International Development Cooperation (NOVIB).[1]
In the years 1947-1950 and in 1952 Oosterhuis was a member of the Dutch delegation to the United Nations. In 1953 he made an immigration study trip to Australia. He was also a member of the Supervisory Board of the recovery Bank and sat on various committees for refugee relief. He had a big name in and outside the trade union movement and his name was also mentioned with respect abroad.
Events Participated in
| Event | Start | End | Location(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 Hague Congress | 7 May 1948 | 11 May 1948 | Netherlands The Hague | Landmark conference which had a profound influence on the shape of the European Movement. Many of the groups organizing the conference received covert funding from the CIA. |
| Bilderberg/1954 | 29 May 1954 | 31 May 1954 | Netherlands Hotel Bilderberg Oosterbeek | The first Bilderberg meeting, attended by 68 men from Europe and the US, including 20 businessmen, 25 politicians, 5 financiers & 4 academics. |
| Bilderberg/1956 | 11 May 1956 | 13 May 1956 | Denmark Fredensborg | The 4th Bilderberg meeting, with 147 guests, in contrast to the generally smaller meetings of the 1950s. Has two Bilderberg meetings in the years before and after |
