Trade unions
The Dutch journalist union is the Nederlandse Vereniging van Journalisten (NVJ), which is the successor of the NJK that was founded in 1884. Journalism is a free trade in the Netherlands, membership of an organisation or registration is not required. The NVJ hands out press cards that can be used by journalists, organizes training of diverse subjects, negotiates with media on salaries and contracts and offers legal services for its members.
The NVJ is also very active in discussions on matters that are important for journalists and media like the freedom of information, copyright, layoffs, media policy and international issues concerning media and journalism. It participates in Raad voor de Journalistiek (RvdJ) that handles ethical issues between media and users. NVJ has around 8000 members, with freelancers (30 percent), newspaper (25 percent) as the largest sections. Membership is traditionally lower in broadcast journalism (NVJ yearly report 2015).