We believe people need to support each other in workplaces and industries. How many people do you know who:

• Have more than one job?

• Are one paycheck away from ruin?

• Have problems paying their bills or finding decent housing?

• Believe they earn the money they are worth?

Compare that to the directors of corporations, to politicians, to the millionaires, and the 1%. Do they have the same worries...what do you think?

We have a duty to ourselves, to others, and to those who follow in our footsteps to fight for a better world. We do this through organising.

As a union we have three main goals:

• Providing support to individual workers when they need it, whether they have not been paid or they want someone to go with them to meetings with HR.

• Campaign for better workers' rights

• Raise awareness of workers' rights

With the IWW, you belong to a union that has a long-term vision and plan for workers’ control of their own work.

The IWW is open to ALL workers. Don’t let the ‘industrial’ part fool you; our members in the Netherlands include, but aren’t limited to, teachers, scientists, shop workers, administrators, bartenders, and computer programmers. If you’re unemployed, a member of another union (but not a union officer), a student, retired, in an informal profession, or unable to work, you can still join. The only people we don't allow to join are the bosses, the owners of companies, the ones who decide what the salaries of the workers are. We are a union of workers, for workers.

We are workers, we do not work for the union, unlike other unions in the Netherlands, and this means that we do not have to look out for what we do or say to keep our jobs. We are not controlled by, or affiliated with, any political party. Our members come from a wide spectrum on the left, but we are not part of any political movement. No money goes to politicians, because your membership dues go towards maintaining the union and assisting organizing campaigns.

The IWW is democratically run, with each member having an equal say in all decisions, so the money you pay for your membership goes directly to causes decided upon by the union as a collective. And at the IWW, anyone can can be involved as little or as much as they like, whenever they want or can.

What is the biggest reason to join the IWW? We are able to support those who are not able to join a union or who's union refuses to help them. Join for them. 

OUR labor, not company board members, make our workplaces thrive.

Member benefits

• Fast access to a network for advice and support in the workplace, now or in the future

• A community of activists

• A direct say in how the union runs and what the priorities are

• A social network, including social gatherings

• A newly introduced library

• Access to training courses online and in-person

• Knowing you are helping those who may need it more than you do

Do you want to know more about the history and structure of the IWW? Visit the website of the central organisation: www.iww.org/