In order to combat the crisis, the government has decided to allow the temporary suspension of the contracts of white-collar workers (comparable to the economic unemployment of blue-collar workers). White-collar workers will receive crisis unemployment benefits (crisisuitkeringen/ allocations de crise) for the days when their contract is suspended.

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A. Background

The Belgian trade union movement was born in Ghent in the second half of the 19th century.
Indeed, it was in this important industrial city that the first trade unions, in today’s meaning of the term, were created.
The first liberal trade unions were created in 1892 and 1893. At this time, the organisations were mainly concentrated in the large factories in certain industrial towns, especially in the textile industry. Shortly after the First World War, the trend gathered momentum with the coordination of the different liberal trade unions operating throughout the country. This led to the creation in the thirties of the “Centrale générale des Syndicats libéraux de Belgique” with a multi-industry, national strike fund (the first of its type in Belgium) and a national unemployment benefit fund.
Since then, the CGSLB has continued to develop steadily. The organisation currently has more than 230,000 members in a country of 10,300,000 inhabitants. Despite strong growth in the number of members, the CGSLB has remained an organisation on a human scale, still placing the worker as an individual at the centre of its concerns. Its also retains its other characteristics: an attachment to the virtues of dialogue, an important factor in economic dynamism, democracy and social justice, pragmatism in the face of market realities, corrected, needless to say, by social measures implemented under pressure from the trade union organisations.

B. Structure

The CGSLB is a multi-industry organisation. It takes part in all negotiations relating to the salary and working conditions of all workers.
The CGSLB also has a structure that is divided into different sectors, as follows:

• Food & Distribution
• Transport
• Chemicals
• Financial services
• Timber, Building & Industry
• Gas & Electricity
• Metallurgy
• Textile
• Services
• Non-Trading

The CGSLB has a very complete network of offices across the country. The administrative headquarters of the organisation remains in Ghent, partly for the historic reasons mentioned above.
The registered office of the organisation is in Brussels, the capital of Europe.

C. Services

1.Trade unions activities:

Multi-industry

The CGSLB negotiates the multi-industry agreements, sits on the National Labour Council, on the Central Economic Council and on many other federal and regional consultative bodies.

In the sectors

Following on from the multi-industry agreement, but often quite independently, the sectors negotiate their collective agreements for all of the companies concerned with the branch in question. Once again, CGSLB representatives defend the interests of members working in the sector within the joint committees. Collective disputes that arise in companies and that cannot be solved at that level are treated within the conciliation board of the joint committees.

At company level

Every four years, the workers elect a person to represent them on the Works Council and/ or the Committee for Prevention and Protection at Work. There are also trade union negotiations outside of these two bodies. Our delegates make it their duty to take charge of the collective and individual interests of the personnel whilst respecting the desires of the workers. For urgent interventions and special problems, permanent secretaries are ready to meet members in the workplace.

2. Services

Information

The world belongs to the well-informed. To ensure that its members have access to reliable documentation, the CGSLB publishes a series of brochures and folders on a wide range of subjects. Apart from the newspaper “Librement” that members receive every month, more specialised publications are also produced.

Consumers

The CGSLB is a recognised consumer organisation and therefore also defends the interests of workers as consumers. In this capacity, it has a seat at the Research and Information Centre for Consumer Organisations (CRIOC).

Training

The CGSLB organises general training and training in communication for its members to enable them better to defend themselves in everyday life. Young people and the over fifties can register for special training. Many training courses are of course also run for trade union delegates in order to help them to exercise their mandates in an optimum manner within the companies.

Economic, social and fiscal studies

The CGSLB has a study department composed of jurists and economists whose task it is to analyse problems associated with workers’ rights, taxation, social security and economic policy.

Legal assistance

The CGSLB fights for equity and justice. Members confronted with a dispute can count on high-level legal assistance. The legal department deals with all problems associated with social security and all disputes arising from working relations. If an amicable settlement proves impossible, we defend our members before the courts and labour tribunals. This legal assistance is free of charge for members.
Note that the Belgian labour tribunals are comprised of a professional magistrate assisted by two social judges, one from the employers’ side and the other from trade union circles. Many social judges are appointed at the proposal of the Liberal Trade Union.

3. Unemployment benefit fund

The CGSLB is a recognised unemployment benefit fund. However, our Unemployment Service goes further than this because it sets up dossiers and monitors regulations and jurisprudence concerning unemployment, early retirement, employment and vocational training.

D. The CGSLB in the world

1. Belgium

Belgium gained independence in 1830. Over the years the country evolved towards a federal structure. The first article of the Belgian Constitution declares that “Belgium is a federal state comprised of communities and regions”.
The concept of a “Community” refers to the persons that comprise it and the links that unite them, namely their language and culture. Our country has three official languages: Dutch, French and German. Belgium is therefore composed of three Communities: the Flemish Community, the French Community and the German Community.
Belgium is known for its major commitment at international and European level. Brussels, the country’s capital, is also the home to many institutions. Belgium is reputed for the dynamism of its social dialogue.
It has a particularly high level of trade union membership.
In Belgium there are three workers’ organisations, namely the CSC, the FGTB and the CGSLB.

2. The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC)

The CGSLB is a member of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), which was created in 1973 as a counterweight to the economic forces of European integration. Following the changes that occurred in Central and Eastern Europe, many new trade unions have joined its ranks.
At the present time, the ETUC has 76 member organisations from 34 European countries, as well as 11 European industry federations, representing more than 60 million members. Other trade union organisations, such as Eurocadres (Council of European Professional and Managerial Staff) and the FERPA (European Federation of Retired and Elderly persons) operate under the aegis of the ETUC. In addition, the ETUC coordinates the activities of the 39 ITUC’s (Interregional Trade Union Councils), which organise cross-border trade union cooperation.
The ETUC is recognised by the European Union, by the Council of Europe and by the EFTA as the unique cross-sectoral representative trade union organisation at European level.

3. The International Trade Union Confederation

The Belgian Liberal Trade Union organisation is also a member of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), created in 206, which has 304 affiliated organisations in 154 countries and territories on five continents, with 168 million members.
The International Trade Union Confederation maintains close links with the European Trade Union Confederation, the ETUC and the major international industry federations that bring together the national trade unions of a sector or a specific industry at international level.

4. Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD): Trade Union Advisory Committee (TUAC)

The Liberal Trade Union takes part in the work of the Trade Union Advisory Committee (TUAC), which provides a link between the trade unions and the OECD. This consultative body was created when the Marshall Plan was set up. The role of the TUAC has adapted to changes in the operation of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Today, the TUAC ensures that the globalised economy retains a human dimension. In practical terms this involves regular consultation with the secretariat, the various commissions and the governments of OECD member countries. The TUAC coordinates and defends the vision of the trade unions in the industrialised countries.
The TUAC brings together 55 national trade unions that represent 70 million workers in 29 OECD countries.

5. The International Labour Organization (ILO)

The CGSLB forms part of the Belgian delegation for International Labour Organization (ILO) conferences.
The ILO, created in 1919, brings together governments, employers and workers from 174 member countries in a concerted effort to advance social protection and improve working and living conditions throughout the world. The International
Labour Organization (ILO) office in Geneva is the permanent secretariat of the Organization.

More information can be found on the Dutch or French part of this site.