Product Code Database
Nieuwe Pekela ( Nij Pekel) is a village in the Netherlands province of Groningen. It is located in the municipality of Pekela, about 7 km southeast of Veendam. The village started as a peat colony, and was named after the river Pekel A. During the 19th century, the village was active in the maritime trade, and contains a museum dedicated to the maritime history. In December 1969, the first women strike action of the Netherlands occurred in Nieuwe Pekela.
In 1801, all towns and villages had to be governed by a municipality, and the peat colony came to an end. In 1808, Nieuwe Pekela was home to 3,299 people. In 1810, after Napoleon annexed the Batavian Republic, Nieuwe Pekela became a separate commune and a mayor was appointed the next year.
In 1877, the Pekel A was extended to Stadskanaal and was no longer a dead end. The part of the river from Oude Pekela to Stadskanaal was later renamed .
Nieuwe Pekela was a separate municipality until 1990, when it merged with Oude Pekela to form the new municipality of Pekela.
In 1762, a Lutheran church was constructed in Nieuwe Pekela. The church burned down in 1865, but was rebuilt in 1868. It was declared a monument in 2000. Since the late 20th century, attendance of the Lutheran church is in decline, and they nowadays cooperate with the Dutch Reformed Church and often have joint services.
In 1975, , the former Director of the Groninger Museum, bought the former residential home of Captain Kornelis Jans Boon. The building dates from 1799 and was one of the few captain's homes in original condition. In 1989, Westers, who had retired from the Groninger Museum, started to transform the house into a museum.
The museum opened in 1990, and provides an overview of the maritime history of the region. There is a large collection of pottery and paintings collected by the skippers of the Pekelas. There is a special emphasis on the many gold and silver objects acquired during the journeys. A part of the house was still used as a residence. In 2006, the whole building became a museum.
On 15 December 1969, the 30 women employed at Champ Clark decided to call a wildcat strike, and demanded equal pay. They became the first women in the history of the Netherlands to go on strike. The factory threatened to fire them, however the women went to Fré Meis of the Communist Party (CPN) who had previously organised successful strikes in neighbouring Oude Pekela. Meis brought in the union.
The union started negotiating with the management of factory. After four weeks, the strike was called off, because the women received a raise from Dutch guilder35 to ƒ58 per week, but also the men received a raise from ƒ45 to ƒ58, because they too had been paid less than the collective agreement for the tobacco industry.
An additional result of the strike was that the unions decided that regional differences in pay were no longer considered acceptable, and that women and men should get equal pay. However, the union members who were members of the Communist Party were disbarred from the union. The list of names was supplied by the Binnenlandse Veiligheidsdienst, the Dutch intelligence agency. The cigar factory closed in 1971.
Nieuwe Pekela, het voormalige gemeentehuis RM520998 foto6 2014-07-12 14.14.jpg|Former townhall
Nieuwe Pekela, de Gereformeerde Kerk foto2 2014-07-12 14.27.jpg|Reformed church
Nieuwe Pekela - Poortmanswijk (2).jpg|Poortmanswijk
Nieuwe Pekela - Evangelisch-Lutherse Kerk.jpg|Lutheran church
|
|
