Early Life
Willem Kok was born on September 29, 1938, in Bergambacht in the Netherlands Province of South Holland. After completing his studies in business at the Nyenrode Business Universiteit, he started his career in 1961 at the socialist Nederlands Verbond van Vakverenigingen (NVV), where he was chairman from 1973 until 1982. In 1982, the NVV merged with Nederlands Katholiek Vakverbond (NKV), the Catholic trade union, to form the Federatie Nederlandse Vakbeweging (FNV), of which he served as chair until 1986.
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