NETHERLANDS: AROUND 250,000 DUTCH WORKERS MARCH THROUGH AMSTERDAM TO PROTEST AGAINST GOVERNMENT AUSTERITY MEASURES

Record ID: 649282

  • Title: NETHERLANDS: AROUND 250,000 DUTCH WORKERS MARCH THROUGH AMSTERDAM TO PROTEST AGAINST GOVERNMENT AUSTERITY MEASURES
  • Date: 2nd October 2004
  • Summary: (W5) AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS (REUTERS) 1. PUPPET THAT LOOKS LIKE DUTCH PRIME MINISTER JAN PETER BALKENENDE WALKING THROUGH AMSTERDAM STREET 0.09 2. WIDE SHOT PEOPLE DEMONSTRATING, CARRYING FLAGS AND BANNERS 0.19 3. SCU: TWO MEN SHOUTING "WE ARE FURIOUS" 0.24 4. SCU: SIGN SAYING IN DUTCH: 'THE NETHERLANDS DESERVES BETTER' 0.32 5. OVERVIEW OF STREET WITH PEOPLE MARCHING 0.38 6. CLOSE UP FLAGS AND BANNERS 0.43 7. CU: HEADS OF PEOPLE WITH FLAGS 0.48 8. WIDE SHOT PEOPLE WALKING THROUGH STREET 0.57 9. (SOUNDBITE) (English) DEMONSTRATOR MARJAN VAN GEEST SAYING: "We can not have any social securities if you are older. We have to work till 65 or even more. We have to go back to the 40-hour working week And for the poor, and the social securities for the people who are handicapped or disabled, it is really, really bad. So the rich get richer and the poor get poorer here in Holland and that is why we are here." 1.29 10. MOTHER AND SON SINGING SONG WHILE MARCHING ALONG 1.43 11. CHILD ON SHOULDERS IN CROWD 1.49 12. WIDE VIEW OF CROWD IN STREET 1.52 13. CLOSE UP BALLOONS AND CROWD IN BACK 1.56 14. WIDE SHOT OF MUSEUM SQUARE PACKED WITH PEOPLE 2.04 15. (SOUNDBITE) (English) BART KUSTERS SAYING: "What they do is they are cutting down on very important things like social security, education, culture. There is less money for all this and we think that these are important things and it is better to have one or two less F16 airplanes and spend money on culture and education." 2.34 16. CLOSE UP WOMAN ON SWING 2.38 17. WOMAN ON SWING WITH MAN PLAYING GUITAR 2.43 18. WOMAN ON SWING, RIJKSMUSEUM IN BACK 2.47 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 17th October 2004 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS
  • Country: Netherlands
  • Reuters ID: LVA3O2J1131TSMRYXRJB5JA29ZO8
  • Story Text: Workers in Netherlands demonstrate against
    government austerity measures.


    Around 250,000 Dutch workers on Saturday (October 2)
    marched through the streets of Amsterdam for a noisy
    protest against government austerity measures.

    Holding banners saying "the Netherlands deserves
    better" the workers packed the streets of the Dutch capital
    to demonstrate against the pension and welfare reforms
    proposed by the centre-right government.

    "We can not have any social securities if you are older.

    We have to work till 65 or even more. We have to go back to
    the 40-hrs working week And the social securities for the
    people who are handicapped or disabled are really bad. The
    rich get richer and the poor get poorer here in Holland and
    that is why we are here," said one protester.

    The Netherlands, the envy in the 1990s of its neighbours
    for its economic growth and low unemployment, has
    struggled to emerge from recession with union militancy
    growing in the face of spending cutbacks they say hit
    ordinary workers the hardest.

    Port workers, garbage collectors, tram drivers and
    firefighters have gone on strike this month to protest against
    moves to extend the working week, shorten holidays and raise the
    retirement age in a sign of growing trade union militancy.

    Trade unions have accused the government of abandoning
    its "Polder Model" of consensual labour relations in a country
    where mass strikes are rare compared to Germany, France and
    Italy.

    "What they do is they are cutting down on very
    important things like social security, education, culture.

    There is less money for all this and we think that these
    are important things. It is better to have on e or two less
    F16 airplanes and spend more on culture and education,"
    said Bart Kusters, one protestor.


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