Trade unions, employer organisations and public institutions play a key role in the governance of the employment relationship, working conditions and industrial relations structures. They are interlocking parts in a multilevel system of governance that includes European, national, sectoral, regional (provincial or local) and company levels. This section looks at the key players and institutions and their role in Belgium.
Public authorities involved in regulating working life
The federal government is responsible for labour law and social security. The Belgian Federal Public Service (FPS) Employment, Labour and Social Dialogue is responsible for the federal administrative services on the labour market and social dialogue, such as regulation of the labour market. The labour inspectorate is part of this federal public service and supervises the implementation of social law and welfare at work. Allowances, such as unemployment payments or career break premiums, are under the authority of the National Employment Office.
Following the Sixth State Reform (2011–2012), responsibilities for vocational training, labour market policies for target groups and the majority of job-activating measures for unemployed people have been transferred to the Belgian regions. The responsible public services are the Flemish Public Employment Service (Vlaamse Dienst voor Arbeidsbemiddeling en Beroepsopleiding, VDAB) for the Flemish Region, the Regional Vocational Training and Employment Office (Office communautaire et régional de la formation professionnelle et de l’emploi, FOREM) for the Walloon Region and Actiris for the Brussels Region.
The labour courts are the main institutions ensuring the enforcement of employees’ rights. However, depending on the type of dispute, mediation can occur within a company.
The main institution monitoring and promoting health and safety at work is the High Council for Prevention and Protection at Work (Conseil supérieur pour la prevention et la protection au travail/Hoge Raad voor Preventie en Bescherming op het Werk).
Representativeness
The Collective Agreements Act of 1968 (modified by the Law of 30 December 2009) lays down the criteria for representativeness. To be representative, a trade union or an employer organisation must have at least 125,000 members, be an interoccupational organisation (or form part of an interoccupational organisation) of workers or employers and represent an absolute majority of sectors and activities in the private and public sector.
These criteria determine the external representativeness of trade unions. When a trade union meets these criteria, it can conclude collective agreements, apply for representation in a joint committee and be represented on the Central Economic Council and the National Labour Council.
At present, three trade unions, and their member federations, have representative status: the Belgian General Federation of Labour (Fédération Générale du Travail de Belgique/Algemeen Belgisch Vakverbond, FGTB/ABVV), the Confederation of Christian Trade Unions (Confédération des Syndicats Chrétiens/Algemeen Christelijk Vakverbond, CSC/ACV) and the Federation of Liberal Trade Unions of Belgium (Centrale Générale des Syndicats Libéraux de Belgique/Algemene Centrale der Liberale Vakbonden van België, CGSLB/ACLVB).
More information on the representativeness of the main social partner organisations can be found in Eurofound’s representativeness study on the cross-industry social partners or in Eurofound’s sectoral representativeness studies.
Trade unions, employer organisations and public institutions play a key role in the governance of the employment relationship, working conditions and industrial relations structures. They are interlocking parts in a multilevel system of governance that includes European, national, sectoral, regional (provincial or local) and company levels. This section looks at the main actors and institutions and their role in Belgium.
Trade unions
About trade union representation
All Belgian citizens have the right to be affiliated to a union regardless of their professional status (employees, blue-collar workers, white-collar workers, civil servants, unemployed people, retired people). Belgian unions cover all workers (and beyond) through many branches organised by sectors, occupations or professional status.
Belgium has one of the highest trade union density rates in Europe, comparable to rates in the Scandinavian countries. Between 2010 and 2019, this rate remained quite stable (between 50% and 56%).
Trade union membership and density, 2010–2019
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | Source |
Trade union density in terms of active employees (%)* | 53.0 | 54.2 | 54.1 | 53.3 | 52.9 | 52.3 | 51.6 | 50.7 | 50.0 | 49.1 | OECD/AIAS ICTWSS database, 2021 |
Trade union membership (thousands)** | 2,035 | 2,094 | 2,095 | 2,048 | 2,050 | 2,020 | 2,014 | 2,016 | 2,043 | 2,034 | OECD/AIAS ICTWSS database, 2021 |
Notes: * Proportion of employees who are members of a trade union. ** Trade union membership of employees derived from the total union membership and adjusted, if necessary, for trade union members outside the active, dependent and employed labour force (i.e. retired workers, self-employed workers, students, unemployed people).
Source: Author’s own data.
Main trade union confederations and federations
The three main trade unions are CSC/ACV (1.5 million members), FGTB/ABVV (1.5 million members) and CGSLB/ACLVB (295,000 members).
Main trade union confederations and federations
Long name | Abbreviation | Number of members | Involved in collective bargaining? |
Confederation of Christian Trade Unions (Confédération des Syndicats Chrétiens/Algemeen Christelijk Vakverbond) | CSC/ACV | 1.7 million (2014) 1,605,820 (2015)
1,571,709 (2016)
1,547,905 (2017)
1,496,602 (2019)
1.5 million (2023) | Yes |
Belgian General Federation of Labour (Fédération Générale du Travail de Belgique/Algemeen Belgisch Vakverbond) | FGTB/ABVV | 1.5 million (2014) 1,544,916 (2015)
1,535,308 (2016)
1,517,968 (2017)
1,547,325 (2023) | Yes |
Federation of Liberal Trade Unions of Belgium (Centrale Générale des Syndicats Libéraux de Belgique/Algemene Centrale der Liberale Vakbonden van België) | CGSLB/ACLVB | 293,952 (2014)
294,268 (2015)
295,584 (2016)
297,645 (2018)
295,000 (2023) | Yes |
Note: Membership data include the free union membership of students.
Source: Author’s own data reported by trade unions.
The situation has not fundamentally changed in recent years: there have been no new trade unions or mergers, and the balance of power has not changed. However, following the 2012 social elections organised to measure the representativeness of the trade unions, CGSLB/ACLVB reached the threshold of 10% for the first time.
Employer organisations
About employer representation
All companies located in Belgium and self-employed people have the right to join employer organisation. Like trade unions, employer organisations have national and/or sectoral branches. Companies and/or self-employed people are free to join one (or more) of these branches. According to the main national employer organisation in Belgium, the Belgian Federation of Employers (Fédération des Entreprises de Belgique/Verbond van Belgische Ondernemingen, FEB/VBO), employer organisations represent 75% of all Belgian companies. However, there are no accurate data on the density of all employer organisations.
Employer organisations involved in collective bargaining at both national and sectoral levels negotiate at country or sector level. Consequently, all companies in the country or the sector are covered by the collective agreement regardless of affiliation to an employer organisation.
Employer organisation membership and density, 2012–2019
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | Source |
Employer organisation density in terms of active employees (%) | n.a. | n.a. | 75 | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | FEB/VBO |
Employer organisation density in terms of active employees (%) | n.a. | n.a. | 83.8 | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | OECD/AIAS ICTWSS database, 2021 |
Employer organisation density in private sector establishments (%)* | n.a. | 46 | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | 41 | European Company Survey 2019 |
Notes: * Percentage of employees working in an establishment that is a member of any employer organisation involved in collective bargaining. n.a., not available.
Source: Author’s own data.
Main employer organisations
FEB/VBO is the main national employer organisation in Belgium. It represents 50 sectoral employer federations. In total, it represents 50,000 companies, including 25,000 small and medium-sized enterprises.
Other employer organisations are the Federation of Belgian Farmers (Fédération des Agriculteurs Belges/Belgische Boerenbond), the Confederation of Social Profit Enterprises, the Flemish Union of Self-employed Entrepreneurs (Unie van Zelfstandige Ondernemers, UNIZO) and the French-speaking Union of the Middle Classes (Union des Classes Moyennes, UCM).
At regional level, the most important employer organisations are Voka, the UWE and Brussels Enterprises Commerce and Industry, besides UNIZO and UCM. Not-for-profit sectors are represented by the Association for Social Profit Enterprises (Vereniging voor social profit ondernemingen), Unipso and the Brussels Confederation of Social Profit Enterprises (Brusselse Confederatie van Social-Profit Ondernemingen).
Main employer organisations and confederations
Long name | Abbreviation | Number of members | Year | Involved in collective bargaining? |
Union of Self-employed Entrepreneurs (Unie van Zelfstandige Ondernemers) | UNIZO | 110,000 (35,000 directly and 75,000 indirectly via member organisations) | 2023 | Yes |
Union of the Middle Classes (Union des Classes Moyennes) | UCM | 30,000 companies and 130,000 self-employed people | 2023 | Yes |
Belgian Federation of Employers (Fédération des Entreprises de Belgique/Verbond van Belgische Ondernemingen) | FEB/VBO | 50,000 | 2023 | Yes |
Federation of Belgian Farmers (Fédération des Agriculteurs Belges/Belgische Boerenbond) | BB | 16,000 | 2020 | Yes |
Confederation of Social Profit Enterprises | UNISOC | 19,000 (estimate) | 2020 | Yes |
Source: Author’s own data
Tripartite and bipartite bodies and concertation
Every two years, the three main trade unions and the employers’ representatives negotiate an interprofessional agreement setting out measures related to the economic and social areas for the next two years. If no agreement can be reached, the government must step in. Two national bipartite councils, the Central Economic Council and the National Labour Council, are consulted by the government on economic and social issues concerning labour law, employment relationships and social security. Moreover, the social partners are entitled to conclude cross-sectoral agreements within the National Labour Council. In each of the three Belgian regions, there is an equivalent council: the Social Economic Council of Flanders (Sociaal Economische Raad van Vlaanderen, SERV), the Economic and Social Council of Wallonia(Conseil économique et social de Wallonie, CESW) and the Economic and Social Council of the Brussels Capital Region(Conseil économique et social de la région de Bruxelles capitale/Economische and Sociale Raad voor het Brussels Hoofstedelijk Gewest).A national tripartite council, the High Council for Prevention and Protection at Work, was created to advise the government on the well-being of employees in the workplace.
Main tripartite and bipartite bodies
Name | Type | Level | Issues covered |
Interprofessional agreements among the ‘Group of Ten’ | Bipartite | National | Macroeconomic issues |
Labour National Council (Conseil national du travail/National ArbeidsRaad) | Bipartite | National | Social areas |
Central Economic Council (Conseil central de l’économie/Centrale Raad voor het bedrijfsleven) | Bipartite | National | Socioeconomic issues |
Flemish Social and Economic Council (Sociaal Economische Raad van Vlaanderen) | Bipartite | Regional | Socioeconomic issues |
Walloon Social and Economic Council (Conseil économique et social de Wallonie) | Bipartite | Regional | Socioeconomic issues |
Brussels Area Social and Economic Council (Conseil économique et social de de la Région de Bruxelles-Capitale/Economische and Sociale Raad voor het Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest) | Bipartite | Regional | Socioeconomic issues |
High Council for Prevention and Protection at Work (Conseil supérieur pour la prevention et la protection au travail/Hoge Raad voor Preventie en Bescherming op het Werk) | Tripartite | National | Well-being, health and safety |
Source: Author’s own data.
Workplace-level employee representation
A works council (Conseil d’entreprise/Ondernemingsraad, CE/OR) is set up as soon as the threshold of 100 employees is reached within a company. It is composed of employee representatives elected through social elections, and of employer representatives. It has to be summoned at least once a month by the employer on the company’s premises. The CE/OR members are informed by the employer about the company’s financial situation, its productivity, its future developments in employment and its objectives. Within the CE/OR, the employer has to provide information on substantial planned modifications in the organisation of staff, such as restructuring, a site closure, a merger or the introduction of a night shift, and on training measures.
The workplace prevention and protection committee (Comité pour la prévention et protection au travail/Comité voor preventie en bescherming op het werk) is made up of employee representatives elected through social elections, prevention counsellors and members of company management who are responsible for health and safety. The committee oversees any issue relating to workers’ health, the working environment and working conditions.
A trade union delegation (délégation syndicale/vakbondsafvaardiging) has the right to be present in any company that has the minimum number of workers established by the relevant sectoral collective agreement. The members of the delegation are nominated by their trade unions or elected by staff. A trade union delegation, in contrast to the two other bodies, represents only unionised workers of the company and not the entire staff. It can negotiate collective agreements in the company and intervene in any conflict the staff might have with the employer. Furthermore, the trade union delegation has the right to be informed about any changes in working conditions. When neither a CE/OR nor a workplace prevention and protection committee is present in the company, the trade union delegation is able to fulfil the role of these two bodies.
Regulation, composition and competencies of the representative bodies
Body | Regulation | Composition | Competencies | Thresholds for/rules on when the body needs to be/can be set up |
Works council | Law of 20 September 1948 on works councils | Elected employee representatives and employer representatives | Information gathering, providing advice, supervisory role, decision-making on certain predefined matters | Company employing more than 100 workers |
Workplace prevention and protection committee | Law of 4 August 1996 on the well-being of employees at the workplace | Elected employee representatives, prevention counsellors, company management | Health and safety | Company employing more than 50 workers |
Trade union delegation | Collective Agreement of 5 October 2011 | Members nominated by trade unions or elected by staff | General labour relations: working hours, premiums, working conditions (when there is no workplace prevention and protection committee or works council) | Established by sectoral collective agreement |
Source: Author’s own data.