Dutch Treat

Slogans and placards are the standard equipment for labor protests, but last week some angry Dutch fire fighters got a little more creative. To protest a government proposal for a 3% cut in civil servants' wages, as well as in benefits for the unemployed, aged and sick, 350 off-duty members of the Amsterdam fire brigade journeyed 40 miles to The Hague, where they filled the Binnenhof, Holland's parliamentary complex, with synthetic fire-fighting foam. From the windows above, the ancient square looked as if a severe storm had buried it in 14 feet of snow.

The ersatz early-morning blizzard hid all the main entrances to the parliamentary and government buildings. When legislators showed up for work, most were not amused. Neither was The Hague's police department, which ordered the local fire brigade to clean up the mess. Within hours, after The Hague's firemen had attacked the foamy mountains with water hoses, the square was again clear. Other wildcat job actions and work slowdowns to protest the pay cuts continued, including a week-old nationwide mail strike that has left post offices with tons of undelivered letters piled almost as high as the foam in the Binnenhof. This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so viewer discretion is required.