Staking

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Grammar: <staking> [noun] [de staking, de stakingen].

Translates to: “strike”.

The verb that goes with “staking” is “staken”, which means “to strike”. The Dutch are not eager to strike but it happens once in a while, especially in public transportation.

Examples:
1. “In de vier grote steden is er vandaag een staking in het openbaar vervoer.”
(“In the four big cities, today there’s a strike in public transportation.” See ‘Extra’ below.)

This example is based on a true event ;-), see http://www.nu.nl/news/886336/10/Staking_openbaar_vervoer.html

2. “Omdat het overleg tussen de vakbonden en de overheid is vastgelopen, is er vandaag een staking.”
(“Because the negotiations between the unions and the government have reached a deadlock, there will be a strike today.”) See also “DWOTD 77. Overleg“.

3. “Vanwege de slechte omstandigheden besloot de gevangene in hongerstaking te gaan.”
(“Because of the bad conditions the prisoner decided to go on hunger strike.”)

Related Words:
1. “Staker”: striker.
2. “Vakbond”: union.
3. “Werkonderbreking”: (work) stoppage.
4. “Protesteren”: to protest.

Extra:
“De vier grote steden” (see example 1 above) is the common group name for Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Den Haag and Utrecht.

6 thoughts on “Staking”

  1. “De vier grote steden” (see example 1 above) is the common group name for Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Den Haag and Utrecht.
    What about the expression RANDSTAD?

  2. The term ‘Randstad’ (literally: edge city) is used to indicate the agglomeration that consists of ‘de vier grote steden’ and all the surrounding areas that all together form a strip from Amsterdam to Rotterdam following the coast line (“edge”). For example: the city of Leiden is not one of the ‘vier grote steden’, but it is however part of the ‘Randstad’. Read more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randstad.
    The word “Randstad” appeared earlier in “DWOTD 26. Fluitje” (http://www.dwotd.nl/2006/08/dwotd_26_fluitj.html)

  3. Does “staken” also mean “to strike” as in to hit something? Or is it strictly a business oriented strike?

  4. “Staken” does not translate to “to hit something”, however it does have a second meaning, which would be “to end an activity of some kind” in a more general sense. Here are three common examples:
    1. “De politie staakte de zoektocht, omdat het te donker werd.”
    (“The police stopped the search, because it got too dark.”)
    2. “De wedstrijd werd gestaakt vanwege het wangedrag van sommige spelers.”
    (“The game was ended due to the misbehaviour of some of the players.”
    3. “Ik staak het verzet!”
    (“I end my resistance!”)

  5. Which version is correct:
    “Prettig weekend!” or “Prettige weekend!”
    Looking at the weather forecast for this weekend you might claim that neither is likely, but I would be interested from a grammatical point of view.

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