Editing Joop den Uyl

{{Short description|Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 1973 to 1977}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Family name hatnote|lang=Dutch|Den Uyl|wrong=Uyl}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific_prefix    = [[His Excellency]]
| name                = Joop den Uyl
| image               = Joop den Uyl 1975.jpg
| caption             = Den Uyl in 1975
| office              = [[Prime Minister of the Netherlands]]
| term_start          = 11 May 1973
| term_end            = 19 December 1977
| monarch             = [[Juliana of the Netherlands|Juliana]]
| deputy              = {{List collapsed|title=''See list''|1= [[Dries van Agt]] <br /> (1973–1977) <br /> [[Gaius de Gaay Fortman]] <br /> (1977)}}
| predecessor         = [[Barend Biesheuvel]] 
| successor           = [[Dries van Agt]]
| office1             = [[Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands]]
| term_start1         = 11 September 1981
| term_end1           = 29 May 1982
| primeminister1      = [[Dries van Agt]]
| alongside1          = [[Jan Terlouw]]
| predecessor1        = [[Hans Wiegel]]
| successor1          = [[Jan Terlouw]]
| office2             = [[List of Ministers of Social Affairs of the Netherlands|Minister of Social Affairs and Employment]]
| term_start2         = 11 September 1981
| term_end2           = 29 May 1982
| primeminister2      = [[Dries van Agt]]
| predecessor2        = [[Wil Albeda]] <br /> as Minister of Social Affairs
| successor2          = [[Louw de Graaf]]
| office3             = [[List of Ministers of Kingdom Relations of the Netherlands|Minister for Netherlands Antilles Affairs]]
| term_start3         = 11 September 1981
| term_end3           = 29 May 1982
| primeminister3      = [[Dries van Agt]]
| predecessor3        = [[Fons van der Stee]]
| successor3          = [[Jan de Koning (Christian Democratic Appeal)|Jan de Koning]]
| office4             = [[Party of European Socialists|President of the Party of European Socialists]]
| term_start4         = 8 March 1980
| term_end4           = 19 May 1987
| predecessor4        = Robert Pontillon
| successor4          = [[Vítor Constâncio]]
| office5             = [[Parliamentary leader|Leader]] of the [[Labour Party (Netherlands)|Labour Party]] in the <br /> [[House of Representatives (Netherlands)|House of Representatives]]
| term_start5         = 16 September 1982
| term_end5           = 21 July 1986
| predecessor5        = [[Wim Meijer (Labour Party)|Wim Meijer]]
| successor5          = [[Wim Kok]]
| term_start6         = 16 January 1978
| term_end6           = 11 September 1981
| predecessor6        = [[Ed van Thijn]]
| successor6          = [[Wim Meijer (Labour Party)|Wim Meijer]]
| term_start7         = 8 June 1977
| term_end7           = 8 September 1977
| predecessor7        = [[Ed van Thijn]]
| successor7          = [[Ed van Thijn]]
| term_start8         = 23 February 1967
| term_end8           = 11 May 1973
| predecessor8        = [[Gerard Nederhorst]]
| successor8          = [[Ed van Thijn]]
| office9             = [[Leader of the Labour Party (Netherlands)|Leader of the Labour Party]]
| term_start9         = 13 September 1966
| term_end9           = 21 July 1986
| predecessor9        = [[Anne Vondeling]]
| successor9          = [[Wim Kok]]
| office10            = [[List of Ministers of Economic Affairs of the Netherlands|Minister of Economic Affairs]]
| term_start10        = 14 April 1965
| term_end10          = 22 November 1966
| primeminister10     = [[Jo Cals]]
| predecessor10       = [[Koos Andriessen]]
| successor10         = [[Joop Bakker]]
| office11            = [[Member of parliament|Member]] of the [[House of Representatives (Netherlands)|House of Representatives]]
| term_start11        = 16 September 1982
| term_end11          = 24 December 1987
| term_start12        = 16 January 1978
| term_end12          = 11 September 1981
| term_start13        = 8 June 1977
| term_end13          = 8 September 1977
| term_start14        = 23 February 1967
| term_end14          = 11 May 1973
| term_start15        = 6 November 1956
| term_end15          = 5 June 1963
| birthname           = Johannes Marten den Uijl
| birth_date          = {{Birth date|df=y|1919|08|09}}
| birth_place         = [[Hilversum]], Netherlands
| death_date          = {{Death date and age|df=y|1987|12|24|1919|08|09}}
| death_place         = [[Amsterdam]], Netherlands
| nationality         = Dutch
| party               = [[Labour Party (Netherlands)|Labour Party]] (from 1946)
| otherparty          = [[Anti-Revolutionary Party]] <br /> (1937–1946)
| spouse              = {{marriage|[[Liesbeth den Uyl|Liesbeth van Vessem]]|30 August 1944}}<!--Year omitted when marriage ends w/ death of article subject-->
| children            = 7, including <br /> [[Saskia Noorman-den Uyl]]
| residence           = 
| alma_mater          = [[University of Amsterdam]] <br /> ([[Bachelor of Economics|BEc]], [[Master of Economics|M.Econ]])
| occupation          = Politician · civil servant · economist · journalist · editor · author · activist
| signature           = Joop den Uyl Signature.jpg
}}

'''Johannes Marten den Uijl''' (9 August 1919 – 24 December 1987), better known as '''Joop den Uyl''' ({{IPA|nl|ˈjoːb dɛn ˈœyl|lang|NL-nl Joop den Uyl.ogg}}),{{efn|''Joop'' in isolation: {{IPA|nl|joːp|}}.}} was a Dutch politician and economist who served as [[Prime Minister of the Netherlands]] from 1973 to 1977. He was a member of the [[Labour Party (Netherlands)|Labour Party]] (PvdA).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://resources.huygens.knaw.nl/bwn1880-2000/lemmata/b/bwn4/uijl|title=Uijl, Johannes Marten den (1919–1987)|publisher=Huygens ING|date=12 November 2013|access-date=9 May 2019|language=nl}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://historiek.net/joop-den-uyl-1919-1987/1889/|title=Joop den Uyl (1919–1987) – Premier van Nederland|publisher=Historiek.net|date=10 December 2015|access-date=9 May 2019|language=nl}}</ref>

Den Uyl studied Economics at the [[University of Amsterdam]] obtaining a [[Master of Economics]] degree and worked as a civil servant at the [[Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy|Ministry of Economic Affairs]] from February 1942 until May 1945 and as a journalist and editor for ''[[Het Parool]]'' and ''[[Vrij Nederland]]'' from May 1945 until January 1949. Den Uyl served as director of the [[Wiardi Beckman Stichting|Wiardi Beckman Foundation]] from January 1949 until June 1963. Den Uyl became a member of the [[House of Representatives (Netherlands)|House of Representatives]] shortly after the number of seats was raised from 100 to 150 seats following the [[1956 Dutch general election|election of 1956]] serving from 6 November 1956 until 5 June 1963 as a [[frontbencher]] and spokesperson for economics. Den Uyl was appointed as [[List of Ministers of Economic Affairs of the Netherlands|Minister of Economic Affairs]] in the [[Cals cabinet]], taking office on 14 April 1965. After [[Leader of the Labour Party (Netherlands)|Labour Leader]] [[Anne Vondeling]] unexpectedly announced he was stepping down, Den Uyl announced his candidacy and was selected as his successor as Leader on 13 September 1966. In the [[1967 Dutch general election|election of 1967]] Den Uyl served as [[lead candidate]] and became [[Parliamentary leader]], taking office on 23 February 1967. In the [[1972 Dutch general election|election of 1972]] Den Uyl again served as lead candidate and after a long [[1972-1973 Dutch cabinet formation|cabinet formation]] formed the [[Den Uyl cabinet]] and became [[Prime Minister of the Netherlands]], taking office on 11 May 1973.

The cabinet collapsed on 22 March 1977 following years of tensions in the ruling coalition. During the [[1977 Dutch general election|election of 1977]] Den Uyl served as lead candidate but following a difficult [[1977 Dutch cabinet formation|cabinet formation]] failed to create a new coalition. Den Uyl left office following the installation of the [[First Van Agt cabinet|Van Agt I cabinet]] on 19 December 1977 but continued to serve in the House of Representatives as Parliamentary leader. For the [[1981 Dutch general election|election of 1981]] Den Uyl again served as lead candidate and following a [[1981 Dutcah bainet formation|cabinet formation]] with his successor— [[Leader of the Christian Democratic Appeal|the leader of the Christian Democratic Appeal]], [[Dries van Agt]]— formed the [[Second Van Agt cabinet|Van Agt II cabinet]] with Den Uyl appointed as [[Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands|Deputy Prime Minister]] and [[List of Ministers of Social Affairs of the Netherlands|Minister of Social Affairs and Employment]], taking office on 11 September 1981. The cabinet fell just seven months into its term and was replaced with the [[Caretaker government|caretaker]] [[Third Van Agt cabinet|Van Agt III cabinet]], with Den Uyl resigning on 29 May 1982. For the [[1982 Dutch general election|election of 1982]] Den Uyl again served as lead candidate and returned to the House of Representatives as Parliamentary leader, taking office on 16 September 1982. For the [[1986 Dutch general election|election of 1986]] Den Uyl once again served as lead candidate but shortly thereafter announced he was stepping down as Leader on 21 July 1986 and endorsed former trade union leader [[Wim Kok]] as his successor though continued to serve in the House of Representatives as a [[backbencher]]. In October 1987 Den Uyl was diagnosed with a [[Terminal illness|terminal]] [[brain tumor]] and died just three months later at the age of 68.

Den Uyl was known for his abilities as a skilful debater and as an idealistic and determined leader. During his premiership, his cabinet were responsible for major [[Reform movement|social reforms]] and dealing with several major crises such as the [[1973 oil crisis]], the [[Lockheed bribery scandals]], [[Maluku Islands|Moluccans incidents]] and the fallout of the [[Yom Kippur War]]. He holds the distinction as leading the most left-wing Dutch cabinet, and his premiership is seen as divisive with both scholars and the public, from [[Historical rankings of prime ministers of the Netherlands|considering]] him to have been average to him having been one of the best Prime Ministers since World War II.<ref>{{in lang|nl}} [http://www.eur.nl/nieuws/journalisten/archief/archief02/vechtkabinet/ De mythe van het vechtkabinet van Joop den Uyl] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160709202600/http://www.eur.nl/nieuws/journalisten/archief/archief02/vechtkabinet/ |date=9 July 2016 }}. University of Rotterdam. 2002</ref><ref>{{in lang|nl}} Suèr, Henk. {{cite web|url=http://www.roodkoper.nl/cms_files/MediaGalerij/Other/otherfiles0853_00.pdf |title=Joop den Uyl: verguisd en inspirerend |access-date=17 April 2010 |url-status=dead | language=nl | trans-title=Joop den Uyl: maligned and inspiring |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120305203129/http://www.roodkoper.nl/cms_files/MediaGalerij/Other/otherfiles0853_00.pdf |archive-date= 5 March 2012 }}. roodkoper.nl</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uva.nl/actueel/agenda.cfm/F34B1DDF-1321-B0BE-A48CB6FE769F2986 |title=Onthullende biografie Joop den Uyl |access-date=17 April 2010 |url-status=dead | language=nl | trans-title=Revealing biography of Joop den Uyl |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090627235926/http://www.uva.nl/actueel/agenda.cfm/F34B1DDF-1321-B0BE-A48CB6FE769F2986 |archive-date=27 June 2009 }}. University of Amsterdam. 21 February 2008</ref><ref>{{in lang|nl}} [http://www.geschiedenis24.nl/nieuws/2006/januari/Willem-Drees-gekozen-tot-D-premier-na-WO-II.html Willem Drees gekozen tot ‘Dé premier na WO II’], Geschiedenis24.nl, 15 January 2006</ref><ref>{{in lang|nl}} [http://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2013/09/28/nrc-enquete-drees-en-lubbers-beste-premiers-sinds-1900/ NRC-enquête: Drees en Lubbers beste premiers sinds 1900], NRC Handelsblad, 28 September 2013</ref><ref>{{in lang|nl}} [https://www.ioresearch.nl/actueel/mark-rutte-gezien-als-beste-premier-sinds-woii/ I&O Research], I&O Research, 13 March 2020</ref>

==Early life==
[[File:Kissinger and Den Uyl 1976.jpg|thumb|left|[[United States Secretary of State]] [[Henry Kissinger]] and Prime Minister Joop den Uyl at the [[Catshuis]] on 11 August 1976.]]
[[File:Premier Den Uyl (r) ontvangt Franse socialistenleider François Mitterrand op Cat, Bestanddeelnr 928-8063.jpg|thumb|left|[[First Secretary of the French Socialist Party|French Socialist Leader]] [[François Mitterrand]] and Prime Minister Joop den Uyl and at the [[Catshuis]] on 28 September 1976.]]
[[File:Britse oppositieleidster Margeret Thatcher bezoekt Den Uyl op Catshuis, Bestanddeelnr 928-9238.jpg|thumb|left|British [[Leader of the Opposition (United Kingdom)|Leader of the Opposition]] [[Margaret Thatcher]] and Prime Minister Joop den Uyl at the [[Catshuis]] on 6 December 1976.]]
[[File:Start campagne voor Europese verkiezingen van PvdA (Rotterdam) Joop den Uyl (l), Bestanddeelnr 932-9810.jpg|thumb|left|Labour Leader Joop den Uyl and British [[Leader of the Opposition (United Kingdom)|Leader of the Opposition]] [[Neil Kinnock]] in [[Rotterdam]] on 26 May 1984.]]
[[File:Bezoek vice-president George Bush van de VS gesprek met de oppositie Bush in ge, Bestanddeelnr 933-3644.jpg|thumb|left|Vice President of the United States [[George H. W. Bush]] and Labour Leader Joop den Uyl in [[The Hague]] on 26 June 1985.]]
[[File:Sraelische premier Peres ontmoet oppositieleider Den Uyl in 2e Kamer. Bezoek van Shimon Peres (933-5443).jpg|thumb|left|Labour Leader Joop den Uyl and [[Prime Minister of Israel]] [[Shimon Peres]] in [[The Hague]] on 21 January 1986.]]

Johannes Marten den Uijl was born on 9 August 1919 in the town of [[Hilversum]]. He was born in a [[Calvinist]] [[Reformed tradition|Reformed]] family. His father, Johannes den Uyl, was a shopkeeper and a basket weaver who died when Den Uyl was 10. Den Uyl attended the Christian Lyceum, the modern-day Comenius College, in Hilversum from 1931 to 1936. Following this he studied Economics at the [[University of Amsterdam]]. During this period in his life he left the church. In 1942 he attained the [[doctorandus]] degree. Until 1945 he was a civil servant at the National Bureau for Prices of Chemical Products, part of the Ministry of Economic Affairs. During that period he was part of the underground newspaper group that published the clandestine ''[[Het Parool]]''. After [[World War II]], Den Uyl worked for ''Het Parool'', ''[[Vrij Nederland]]'' and other former resistance papers. From January 1949 to 1963 he was the head of the [[Wiardi Beckman Stichting]], the think tank of the [[Social democracy|social democratic]] [[Labour Party (Netherlands)|Labour Party]]. In 1953, at the invitation of the American government, Den Uyl stayed in the United States for a few months, gaining an appreciation of the American experience.<ref>International Institute of Social History, [http://www.iisg.nl/archives/en/files/u/10772225full.php#N11482 ''Archief Joop den Uyl''], item 187. Retrieved on 9 October 2007.</ref>

==Political career==
In 1953 Den Uyl was elected to the municipal council of [[Amsterdam]] and in 1956 he was elected to the [[House of Representatives (Netherlands)|House of Representatives]]. In 1963, he became municipal administrator for economic affairs in Amsterdam, resigning his parliamentary seat. He resigned that post in 1965 to become Minister of Economic Affairs in the [[Cals cabinet]]. As the responsible minister, he decided to close the uneconomic coal mines in [[Limburg (Netherlands)|Limburg]], causing high local unemployment. Following the parliamentary elections of 1967, he became leader of the Labour Party in parliament.

Den Uyl's Labour Party won the [[1972 Dutch general election|1972 election]] in alliance with the [[progressivism|progressive]] liberal [[Democrats 66]] and radical Christian [[Political Party of Radicals]], but failed to achieve a majority in parliament. After lengthy negotiations, he formed [[Den Uyl cabinet]] with the Christian democratic [[Catholic People's Party]] and [[Anti-Revolutionary Party]]. This cabinet faced many problems. An early problem was the [[1973 oil crisis|1973 oil boycott]] following the Dutch support of Israel in the [[Yom Kippur war]]. Den Uyl said in a speech on national television that "things would never return to the way they were" and implemented fuel rationing and a ban on Sunday driving.

Between 1973 and 1977, the country's economic situation turned ugly. The government's [[Government budget deficit|budget deficit]] increased tenfold, inflation approached 10 percent, the [[unemployment rate]] doubled, and the [[Current account (balance of payments)|current account]] went from positive to negative – the latter a critical problem in a country that rises or falls on foreign trade. Despite economic difficulties, however, real incomes grew from 1973-1977. According to a 1978 budget memorandum, the real disposable income of the “modal worker” (a statistical concept, as noted by one study, ‘similar to the OECD's "average production worker" but at a somewhat lower level of earnings’) went up by 10.3%, for minimum wage earners by 17.8%, and retired people by 27.3%.<ref>Welfare and Efficiency Their Interactions in Western Europe and Implications for International Economic Relations By Theodore Geiger, 1979, P.92</ref> The government also enacted a wide range of progressive social reforms, such as significant increases in welfare payments, the indexation of benefits and the minimum wage to contractual private sector wage developments<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZIoKqEYDU-UC&q=joop+den+uyl+minimum+wage&pg=PA59|title=Government Institutions: Effects, Changes and Normative Foundations: Effects, Changes and Normative Foundations|first=H.|last=Wagenaar|date=31 October 2000|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|isbn=9780792367208|via=Google Books}}</ref> and a system of rent rebates (1975).<ref>{{Google books |id=2aAEJI1Jry0C |page=37 |title=West European Housing Systems in a Comparative Perspective }}</ref> Kindergartens and primary schools with high percentages of children from lower income families were provided with extra facilities (including more money and teachers) and cooperation was stimulated between schools and social and cultural institutions. In addition, 3 local compensatory education and family involvement projects that had been initiated in the early Seventies in Utrecht, Rotterdam and Amsterdam were subsidized by the Ministry of Education under the terms of a new educational development policy.<ref>World Yearbook of Education 1992 Urban Education Edited by David Coulby, Crispin Jones, and Duncan Harris, Part 3: Urban education issues city perspectives, 16: Rotterdam: combatting educational disadvantage by Ton Peters, P.176</ref> In August 1975, nursery school fees were abolished.<ref>YEARBOOK ON HUMAN RIGHTS FOR 1975-1976, UNITED NATIONS, New York, 1981, P.206</ref> The Primary Education Act of October 1974 gave more freedom to school heads regarding the programming of the curriculum, and an Act of June 1974 made supplementary benefits available to unemployed persons who accepted lower paid- work, with those over 45 receiving supplements "amounting to 100% of their former wage during the first six months; 95% in the next six months, and 85% during the second, third and fourth year; those under 45 receive supplements amounting to 90% during six months, 85% during the next two years." In addition, a law of June 1976 enabled employees aged sixty, two years after the first date of receipt of benefits (WWV scheme), to continue receiving them until the age of sixty-five. The purpose of this legislation was to improve the financial circumstances of older employees who are unemployed for a long time.<ref>Growth to Limits: The Western European Welfare States Since World War II, Volume 2 edited by Peter Flora, P.690</ref> In August 1976, job protection was introduced during pregnancy and for 12 weeks following childbirth.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oecd.org/els/family/PF2.5%20Trends%20in%20leave%20entitlements%20around%20childbirth%20since%201970%20-%2010%20oct%202012%20-%20FINAL%20-%20Annex.pdf |title=PF 2.5 Annex: Detail of Change in Parental Leave By Country |access-date=21 November 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140721142403/http://www.oecd.org/els/family/PF2.5%20Trends%20in%20leave%20entitlements%20around%20childbirth%20since%201970%20-%2010%20oct%202012%20-%20FINAL%20-%20Annex.pdf |archive-date=21 July 2014 }}</ref> The number of years of full compulsory education were increased,<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lrKec5YTVYAC|title=The World of Child Labor: An Historical and Regional Survey|first=Hugh D.|last=Hindman|date=1 January 2009|publisher=M.E. Sharpe|isbn=9780765626479|via=Google Books}}</ref> and an Act on equal pay in the private sector was introduced.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7pA_95afJHIC|title=Understanding Equal Opportunities and Diversity: The Social Differentiations and Intersections of Inequality|first=Barbara|last=Bagilhole|date=1 January 2009|publisher=Policy Press|isbn=9781861348487|via=Google Books}}</ref> In addition, investments were carried out in social services, such as home care services for families.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BtMQsESYcWwC|title=The Welfare State as Crisis Manager: Explaining the Diversity of Policy Responses to Economic Crisis|first1=P.|last1=Starke|first2=A.|last2=Kaasch|first3=F. Van|last3=Hooren|first4=Franca Van|last4=Hooren|date=7 May 2013|publisher=Springer|isbn=9781137314840|via=Google Books}}</ref>

In 1975, a rent readjustment grant was adopted “to assist households that were capable and desirous of living in better accommodations, but who were intimidated by the sudden increase in rent and the burden of moving costs.” Various types of tenants were eligible, such as those leaving a slum dwelling for a higher rent unit (“slum clearance”). <ref>Monthly Labor Review, May 1986, Volume 109, Number 5, Henry Lowenstern, Editor-in-Chief, Robert W. Fisher, Executive Editor, P.26</ref> From 1 January 1975, the elderly “who rely solely or almost exclusively on the AOW pension have been granted an additional reduction of NLG 18 per month on the premium for health insurance for the elderly.”<ref>[https://www.parlementairemonitor.nl/9353000/1/j4nvgs5kjg27kof_j9vvij5epmj1ey0/vkbtnm465oyl/f=/kst13463n1k2 Hoofdstuk I. ken - Nota Bejaardenbeleid 1975]</ref> Also, with retroactive effect from 1 July 1975, “a new regulation for relocation and refurbishment costs applies to elderly people who want to move from a cheaper to a more expensive home.”<ref>[https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/1975/07/11/regeling-subsidie-op-woningen-eenvoudiger-kb_000032481-a3150813  Regeling subsidie op woningen eenvoudiger]</ref> In 1975 the social assistance standard was again structurally increased for incomplete families. In 1974 and 1975, the social assistance standards structurally increased more than the net minimum wage.<ref>Verslag der handelingen der Staten-Generaal Part 2, Volume 8 By Netherlands, Staten-Generaal, Eerste Kamer, 1976, P.79</ref> In 1975, national  legislation was introduced for residential homes (previously, homes for the elderly had been a responsibility of local authorities).<ref>[https://interlinks.euro.centre.org/sites/default/files/WP6_NL.pdf Governance and financing of long-term care Dutch National Report, Roelf van der Veen, Pieter Huijbers and Henk Nies, Utrecht, March 2010, P.4 ]</ref>

Taking into account the fact that the dilapidation of private (rental) homes can seriously impede the efficient implementation of urban renewal plans, a regulation was drawn up at the end of 1976 in connection with this “that provides for the granting of financial support to municipalities and approved institutions when they purchase homes from private individuals with the aim of providing the residents of such homes with a reasonable level of living enjoyment for a considerable period of time after a major improvement. For larger municipalities in particular, this aid measure can be an incentive to purchase homes from private owners.”<ref>[https://repository.overheid.nl/frbr/sgd/19771978/0000184467/1/pdf/SGD_19771978_0003454.pdf Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal Zitting 1977-1978 Rijksbegroting voor het jaar 1978 P.35]</ref> From 1976 onwards, “schemes have been in place under which grants have been provided for the adaptation of accommodation for the disabled.”<ref>[https://zoek.officielebekendmakingen.nl/stcrt-2008-196-p16-SC87740.pdf Regeling verplichte afkoop regelingen geldelijke steun huisvesting gehandicapten 2008]</ref> In 1976, a separate subsidy scheme was introduced for young single persons.<ref>[http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:3dc37b07-0b87-4bdd-938d-3fa48dfaa929 Groei en bloei van het nederlandse volkshuisvestingsbeleid: Volkshuisvesting in theorie en praktijk by Van der Schaar, J., P284]</ref> In 1976, a law provided a cash benefit equal to the old-age benefit for disabled heads of families (including the unemployed and self-employed) and disabled single persons aged 17 and over, including those disabled since childhood. Previously, only employed persons for eligible for these benefits. The same law provided for rehabilitation benefits for homemakers.<ref>Social Security Bulletin, March 1983/Vol. 46, No. 3</ref> This law also provided for special transport, retraining and reimbursement of extra expenditures incurred as a result of handicaps “on the condition that these services are not provided by other social security legislation.”<ref>The One World of Working Women By Anne H. Nelson, 1978, P.3-4</ref> 

A regulation was introduced in September 1973 providing for the employment of persons "for whom it is difficult to find employment and who have been in prolonged unemployment."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://aei.pitt.edu/9801/|title = Report on the development of the social situation in the Community in 1973|year = 1974}}</ref> In January 1974, a statutory minimum wage for young people between the ages of 15 and 22 was introduced, and in March 1974 the insurance scheme for wage and salary earners was extended to cover the costs of physiotherapy treatment "where this has been prescribed by a doctor."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://aei.pitt.edu/9842/|title = Report on the development of the social situation in the Community in 1974|year = 1975}}</ref> Under a decree of 19 July 1974 unemployed civil servants and their survivors were entitled to certain benefits.<ref>[https://wetten.lawreader.nl/bwb/BWBR0002931 Decree of 19 July 1974 establishing a regulation concerning the granting of former civil servants a supplement to disability benefit in the event of involuntary unemployment]</ref> The National Standardization Decree of 3 July 1974 provided rules for the provision of assistance for generally necessary subsistence costs.<ref>[https://www.denederlandsegrondwet.nl/9353000/1/j4nvgs5kjg27kof_j9vvkl1oucfq6v2/vk11boeijcqh/f=/131279%202%2014.pdf 33ste Vergadering Donderdag 13 december 1979 Aanvang 10.15 uur.]</ref> According to one report "In 1974 the National Assistance Decree came into effect. A social minimum now applied to various types of households: a standard amount that was considered sufficient to cover the general necessary costs of existence."<ref>Sociaal en cultureel rapport By Netherlands. Sociaal en Cultureel Planbureau, 1996, P.177 </ref> The decree established general rules for the determination of the social assistance level. Net benefits according to the ABW (Public Assistance Act) were fixed at 100 % of the net minimum wage for a married worker aged 23 and elder, and the minimum benefits for breadwinners in the social insurance schemes were finally equalized to minimal wage in 1975.<ref>The 'incrementalist' Paradox Securing a Subsistence Minimum and the Introduction of a Basic Income in the Netherlands By Joop M. Roebroek, Theo Berben, 1988, P.5</ref> As a result of this decree, “the basic standard of social assistance benefit for a couple without children became equal to the net minimum wage of the married employee without children.”<ref>[https://repository.overheid.nl/frbr/sgd/19821983/0000145752/1/pdf/SGD_19821983_0004793.pdf Nadere wijziging van een aantal sociale verzekeringswetten, de Wet Werkloosheidsvoorziening en de Wet op de loonbelasting 1964 (afschaffing minimumdagloon WAO. en herziening minimumdagloonbepalingen in de W.W. en de W.W.V.), P.9]</ref> According to one study "The National Standards Decree (BLN) from 1974 was of great importance. In addition to the fact that the BLN contains rules for determining assistance with the general necessary costs of existence, it also meant that the level of benefits was raised to the level of the legal minimum wage. The BLN severely limited the policy freedom of municipalities in the implementation of the law. Nevertheless, there remained uncertainty about the interpretation of the concept of general subsistence costs. The BLN only contains a general description, namely: the costs that cannot be regarded as special necessary subsistence costs determined by individual circumstances."<ref>[https://esb.nu/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/editie_pdfs_1987_0239_tcm445-258696.pdf De Algemene Bijstandswet en de nieuwe armoede DR. H. G. DE GIER,P.787]</ref> In 1974 the AOW was linked to the minimum wage and therefore became welfare-fixed.<ref>[https://www.plusonline.nl/pensioen-aow/pensioen-en-aow-van-toen-tot-nu Pension and AOW: from then to now]</ref> After the ABW (Public Assistance Act) was linked to the minimum wage in 1974 lone parents were allowed to keep about a third of their earnings in addition to the benefit, up to a maximum of 25% of the minimum wage.<ref>Lone Mothers in European Welfare Regimes Shifting Policy Logics Edited by Jane Lewis,P.107 </ref> In 1974, the holiday allowance became part of the national standardization and was therefore included in the National Standardization Decree.<ref>[https://www.nationaalarchief.nl/onderzoeken/archief/2.27.5058 2.27.5058 Inventaris van het archief van het Ministerie van Maatschappelijk Werk; Ministerie van Cultuur, Recreatie en Maatschappelijk Werk: Directie Bijstandszaken en Taakvoorgangers, 1952-1982]</ref> As noted by one study, "The fixed minimum wage could best serve as a guideline for this. That goal was definitively achieved in 1974: social assistance benefits, the AOW, the widow's benefit and the basic benefits of the Sickness Benefits Act, WAO, WW, WWV all amount to one hundred percent of the net minimum wage, around a thousand guilders per year."<ref>De verwording van de economie
voor de arbeider, ondernemer en kruidenier verklaard : waarin opgenomen De dood van een coureur By Arnold Heertje, Frans Nypels, Kees Tamboer, 1976, P.311: “Vastgelegde minimumloon daartoe het best als richtsnoer kon dienen. Dat doel werd in 1974 definitied bereikt: uit-keringen voor bijstand, de AOW, de weduwenuitkering en de bodemuitkeringen van de Ziektewet, WAO, WW, wwv bedragen allemaal honderd procent van het netto minimumloon, rond duizend gulden schoon per”</ref> Also, as noted by another study, "Partly under the influence of the increase in unemployment since the oil crisis of 1973, a hardship clause was added to the Social Security Act in July 1974 through a change in the National Standards Decree. As a result, you can claim benefits without your entire baptismal certificate being examined by social work. From 1975, everyone from the age of sixteen without a fixed income is entitled to a social assistance benefit."<ref>[https://iisg.nl/staatsarchief/publicaties/voettussendedeur/hoofdstuk04.php voet tussen de deur - Geschiedenis van de kraakbeweging 1964 - 1999]</ref> A modest amount of money was released for self-employed persons as an old-age provision through the National Group Regulation on the release of old-age provision for special groups (Stb. 1974, 825). As noted by one study, the National Group Scheme for the release of old-age provision for special groups (Stb. 1974, 825) “envisaged exemption from (part of) the assets of a former self-employed person in the means test for social assistance.”<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.handelingenbank.info/infobronnen/089%20Sociale%20voorzieningen/RIO/089%20RIO%202005%20juli.pdf |title=Sociale Voorzieningen deel 2 Een herzien institutioneel onderzoek op het beleidsterrein sociale zekerheid ten aanzien van de sociale voorzieningen, (1940-) 1996 – 2004 juli 2005 Ministerie van Sociale Zaken en Werkgelegenheid Rinske Baan |access-date=9 April 2023 |archive-date=9 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230409101716/https://www.handelingenbank.info/infobronnen/089%20Sociale%20voorzieningen/RIO/089%20RIO%202005%20juli.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> 

In September 1975, a regulation on the promotion of vocational training for young people was introduced, aimed at "a great number of young people who, as a result of the present educational system, depend on on-the-job training within the framework of the Apprenticeship Law." The chances of obtaining an individual rent subsidy were also significantly increased, while an Act of June 1975 amended a number of existing Acts "with a view to introducing changes regarding the organisation and the districts of factory inspection and the inspection of ports and dangerous machinery,” and also conferred legislative powers on the Minister of Social Affairs under the Act "concerning the loading and unloading of ocean-going vessels and extended the scope of the Silicosis Act."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://aei.pitt.edu/10250/|title = Report on the development of the social situation in the Communities in 1975|year = 1976}}</ref> Early retirement measures were also implemented,<ref>[https://www.awvn.nl/app/uploads/2019/11/GEHEUGEN-VAN-DE-POLDER-HOOFDSTUK-43-EERDER-STOPPEN-MET-WERKEN.pdf Eerder stoppen met werken te populair VUT met pensioen]</ref> with the Den Yyl government being the first administration to do this.<ref>[https://www.fnv.nl/regio-noord/nieuws/opinie-zwaar-werk-regelingen-blijven-noodzakelijk#:~:text=De%20vervroegde%20uittreding%20kwam%20voor,waren%20voor%20de%20AOW%2Dleeftijd Opinie: Zwaar werk regelingen blijven noodzakelijk door Anne van Dijk, kaderlid FNV]</ref>

The Collective Redundancy (Notification) Act of 1976 imposed an obligation on employers (who intend to collectively dismiss employees) "to give written notice of this intention to the relevant trade unions for consultation,"<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c44NcqzDfk8C|title=Trade Union Rights at the Workplace|first1=Roger|last1=Blanpain|first2=Janice R.|last2=Bellace|date=1 January 2012|publisher=Kluwer Law International|isbn=9789041134608|via=Google Books}}</ref> while that same year consultative works councils were replaced by powerful ones modelled after the German works councils.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j7jpvWeEG-MC&q=netherlands+works+councils+1976&pg=PA172|title=The Future of Labour Movements|first=Professor Marino|last=Regini|date=11 December 1992|publisher=SAGE|isbn=9781446228449|via=Google Books}}</ref> Also in 1976, a law was passed forbidding dismissal upon pregnancy or marriage for all women.<ref>{{Cite journal | url=http://nidi.knaw.nl/shared/content/output/2002/ssm-54-05-fokkema.pdf | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150725171709/http://nidi.knaw.nl/shared/content/output/2002/ssm-54-05-fokkema.pdf |archive-date=2015-07-25 | title=Combining a job and children: contrasting the health of married and divorced women in the Netherlands? | first=Tineke | last=Fokkema| journal=Social Science & Medicine | date=2002 | volume=54 | issue=5 | pages=741–752 | doi=10.1016/s0277-9536(01)00106-x | pmid=11999490 }}</ref> In 1976, a Criminal Injuries Compensation fund was set up.<ref>The Dutch Criminal Justice System By P.J.P. Tak, 2008, P.109</ref> Extra money was also spent on urban renewal, while the arrangement “that allows tenants to get used to a higher rent for a renovated home has been improved.” Various measures were undertaken in the field of road safety, such as compulsory moped helmets and seat belts and the establishment of an alcohol test (breath test). Subsidies were also granted to experiments with Bureaus for Legal Aid.<ref>[https://www.parlement.com/id/vh8lnhronvw9/kabinet_den_uyl_1973_1977 Kabinet-Den Uyl (1973-1977)]</ref> An Act of the 26th of June 1975 extended (as noted by one study) “the right to compensation for wrongful temporary detention.”<ref>YEARBOOK ON HUMAN RIGHTS FOR 1975-1976, UNITED NATIONS, New York, 1981, P.204</ref>

A February 1976 regulation on accidents in nuclear installations provided for interministerial coordination on measures to be taken "in the event of accidents and for the preparation of an emergency plan."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://aei.pitt.edu/9819/|title = Report on the development of the social situation in the Communities in 1976|year = 1977}}</ref> An order of the 12th January 1976 of made it illegal (as noted by one study) “to have available, use, process, pack, or transport propane sultone in connexion with work.”An order of the 19th of  June 1976 amended the Agricultural Safety Order by requiring tractors (as noted by one study) “to be fitted with a suitable cabin, frame or bar in such a way that the driver is adequately protected should be tractor tip over backwards or overturn in some other way.” In addition, the Order included a paragraph “concerning the elimination or restriction of harmful or objectionable noise and vibration produced by agricultural machinery, tractors and other equipment.”<ref>YEARBOOK ON HUMAN RIGHTS FOR 1975-1976, UNITED NATIONS, New York, 1981, P.205</ref>

A law of December 1976 relaxed the conditions for exemption from national insurance contributions or entitlement to pay reduced contributions, and also extended entitlement to orphans' pensions "to illegitimate children whose mothers are dead and who have not been recognised by their fathers." The Asbestos Decree of April 1977 prohibited the storage and use of crocidolite (blue asbestos) and materials or products containing crocidolite and also prohibited "the spraying of asbestos or materials or products containing asbestos and their use for thermal insulation or for acoustic, preservative or decorative purposes." In September 1977, regulations were issued "regarding the conditions under which young persons of 16 and over may exceptionally drive agricultural tractors." In May 1977, a subsidy scheme for the placing of handicapped persons was introduced.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://aei.pitt.edu/10246/|title = Report on the development of the social situation in the Communities in 1977|year = 1978}}</ref>

In 1977, the Den Uyl cabinet fell due to a conflict between Den Uyl and the Catholic People's Party Minister of Justice [[Dries van Agt]]. The Labour Party entered the subsequent election under the banner "Vote for the Prime Minister". The Labour Party won by a landslide, receiving over 33% of the votes, a relatively large share in the divided politics of the Netherlands at that time, and 53 seats. Labour's coalition partner Democrats 66 also made gains, from 6 to 8 seats. However, its other coalition partner, the Political Party of Radicals, lost nearly all its seats, making it impossible for Den Uyl to form a new government that he could count on to support him in parliament. More than 200 days after the election, the [[Christian Democratic Appeal]] (a new party that was formed by Den Uyl's former coalition partners, the Catholic People's Party and the Anti-Revolutionary Party, joined by the smaller [[Christian Historical Union]]) formed a cabinet with the liberal [[People's Party for Freedom and Democracy]], supported by a small majority of 77 seats (out of a total of 150).

After being opposition leader from 1977 to 1981, Den Uyl returned to government in 1981. The Labour Party formed a coalition with the Christian Democratic Appeal and the Democrats 66. Den Uyl became Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Social Affairs and Employment. Van Agt, by now Den Uyl's nemesis, led this cabinet. The cabinet was in constant internal conflict and fell after eight months. The Labour Party won the snap election of 1982, but could not agree on a new coalition with the Christian Democratic Appeal. As a result, Den Uyl returned to parliament and led the Labour Party in opposition until 1986. As leader of the main opposition party, Den Uyl, always a soft-spoken [[Atlanticism|Atlanticist]], provided cover for the government's controversial decision to place [[NATO]] [[cruise missile]]s on Dutch soil. In turn, this decision, and a similar one by the Belgian government, satisfied one of the [[West Germany|West German]] conditions for the placement of cruise missiles and [[Pershing II]] missiles in West Germany.

==Family and later life==
On 30 August 1944, Den Uyl married Liesbeth den Uyl, née Van Vessem (18 June 1924 – 30 September 1990).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.geni.com/people/Liesbeth-den-Uyl/6000000017015099203|title = Liesbeth den Uyl| date=18 June 1924 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/1990/10/01/liesbeth-den-uyl-van-vessem-overleden-6942530-a426101|title=Liesbeth den Uyl- van Vessem overleden|newspaper=NRC |date=October 1990 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://resources.huygens.knaw.nl/vrouwenlexicon/lemmata/data/Vessem|title = Digitaal Vrouwenlexicon van Nederland|date = 17 September 2019}}</ref> They had three sons and four daughters. Of those, the eldest [[Saskia Noorman-den Uyl]] became a member of parliament for the [[Labour Party (Netherlands)|Labour Party]] herself serving from 1994 until 2006. Xander den Uyl became a leading figure in [[ABVAKABO]], one of the Dutch labour unions and has served as Member of the Provincial-Council of North Holland for the Labour Party since 2011.

After the elections of 1986, in which the Labour Party won 5 seats but failed to retain its position as largest party, Den Uyl was succeeded as leader of the Labour Party by [[Wim Kok]].

On 24 October 1987, the [[VU University Medical Center]] announced that Den Uyl had become [[terminally ill]]. He died exactly two months later, on Christmas Eve 1987, aged 68, of a [[brain tumour]].

==Honours and decorations==
{| class="wikitable" style="width:60%;"
|+ Honours
! style="width:80px;"| Ribbon bar !! Honour !! Country !! Date !! Comment
|-
| [[File:Order of the Netherlands Lion (Knight) - Ribbon bar.svg|80px]]
| [[Order (distinction)|Knight]] of the [[Order of the Netherlands Lion]]
| Netherlands
| 5 December 1966
| 
|-
| [[File:Order of the House of Orange - Ribbon bar.svg|80px]]
| Honorary Medal for Initiative and Ingenuity of the [[Order of the House of Orange]]
| Netherlands
| 19 September 1974
| 
|-
| [[File:Order of the Palm (Suriname) - ribbon bar.png|80px]]
| [[Order (distinction)|Grand Officer]] of the [[Honorary Order of the Palm]]
| [[Suriname]]
| 4 September 1977
| 
|-
| [[File:Order of Orange-Nassau ribbon - Grand Officer.svg|80px]]
| [[Order (distinction)|Grand Officer]] of the [[Order of Orange-Nassau]]
| Netherlands
| 9 September 1982
| <small>Elevated from Commander <br /> (11 April 1978)</small>
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="width:60%;"
|+ Honorary degrees
! University !! Field !! Country !! Date !! Comment
|-
| [[University of Amsterdam]]
| Economics
| Netherlands
| 8 January 1985
| 
|}

==Further reading==
* Wilsford, David, ed. ''Political leaders of contemporary Western Europe: a biographical dictionary'' (Greenwood, 1995) pp 97–111.

==Quotes==
* "{{lang|nl|Twee dingen: ...}}" ("Two things: ..."){{snd}}In interviews, many of Den Uyl's answers started with these two words, sending a signal to the listener to drop any expectation of a simple "yes" or "no".{{cn|date=October 2024}}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}

;Official
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20171107124715/https://www.parlement.com/id/vg09llb6zoz6/j_m_joop_den_uyl Dr. J.M. (Joop) den Uyl] Parlement & Politiek {{in lang|nl}}

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{{s-ttl|title=[[Lead candidate]] of the [[Labour Party (Netherlands)|Labour Party]]|years=1967, 1971, 1972, 1977 <br /> 1981, 1982, 1986}} 
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{{s-ttl|title=[[List of Ministers of Social Affairs of the Netherlands|Minister of Social Affairs <br /> and Employment]]|years=1981–1982}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Louw de Graaf]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Fons van der Stee]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of Ministers of Kingdom Relations of the Netherlands|Minister for Netherlands <br /> Antilles Affairs]]|years=1981–1982}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Jan de Koning (Christian Democratic Appeal)|Jan de Koning]]}}
{{s-end}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Uyl, Joop den}}
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