Delegates who want to be there for their colleagues and carry out their trade union activities properly must be free to do their work.

That is precisely why, as a delegate, you are protected by law. Your employer cannot fire you or move you to another department because you are defending the interests of employees. Furthermore, the exercise of your trade union mandate must not stand in the way of you receiving promotion or other benefits.

New candidates

This protection also applies to new candidates, but only takes effect 65 days before the deadline for submitting the candidate lists. That means for the May 2024 elections, protection applies from mid-January 2024 – with the exact date depending on the election date in your company or organisation.

No, we do not just throw you in at the deep end. All candidates receive training from the start. You will learn about your rights and obligations, how to negotiate and how to meet and/or speak effectively in a group.

An ACV-CSC union secretary will coach and support you. And, of course, you will work with other delegates.

In addition, ACV-CSC employs experts who can help you with difficult questions and cases: lawyers, experts in economic and financial domains, and prevention advisers to assist with questions about well-being at work.

In short, you are far from alone, and you will be guided step by step during your mandate!

As a delegate, you play an important and inspiring role:

• You are the point of contact for your colleagues and look for solutions together
• You strive for better and fairer wages and working conditions 
• You are committed to more safety and well-being at work
• You ensure equal opportunities for everyone in the workplace
• You ensure a healthy balance between work and private life
• You support the professional training of your colleagues

Moreover, you sit in consultation with the employer to discuss constructive solutions. In other words, you provide a listening ear and know what is going on in the workplace. This means you can take the necessary action and make your voice heard when discussing new collective bargaining agreements. To ensure that you perform these important tasks optimally and confidently, as an ACV-CSC delegate you have access to the necessary training.

Social elections from 50 employees

In a company or organisation with at least 50 employees, an Occupational Health and Safety Committee must be elected. From 100 employees, a Works Council must also be set up. Under certain conditions, this also applies to a group of cohesive, smaller companies which, when combined, also employ at least 50 or 100 people.

Information about social elections

An employer is obliged to provide the necessary (written) information. If there are elections in your company, you will be kept informed about the various steps in the election procedure, such as:

• Information about consultative bodies for which you can elect delegates and the number of mandates that can be distributed
• The invitation letter with practical information about, among other things, the times and ways in which you can vote

No elections in your company yet, but you want to stand? Please contact ACV-CSC.

❗ Please note: social elections are only held in private-sector enterprises. The public services do not hold social elections. The law applies to both the profit and non-profit sectors. Therefore, it also covers subsidized free education, private health and social care institutions, adapted work companies, etc.

A delegate defends the interests of their colleagues as part of the social dialogue, or the bodies where employers and employees meet, which are the Occupational Health and Safety Committee and the Works Council.

Occupational Health and Safety Committee

A company or organisation with at least 50 employees must elect an Occupational Health and Safety Committee. Its mission is to ensure well-being at work and to ensure that everyone can work under safe and healthy working conditions.

As a delegate, you can work on:

• Correct application of legislation on safety, health and well-being at work.
• Preventing occupational accidents, occupational diseases, stress, undesirable behaviour and bullying.
• Improving working conditions, mobility, etc.
• The proper functioning of prevention services (service to tackle undesirable behaviour, occupational health service).
• Correct application of environmental legislation and fire safety policies.
• The elaboration of a policy on stress, psychosocial risks, but also on themes such as alcohol at work, older employees, etc.
• As a delegate, you are also the mouthpiece of your colleagues: you take on board any complaints they may have and discuss their questions and proposals with management.

Works Council

Any company or organisation with at least 100 employees must set up a Works Council. The Works Council meets monthly and has the right to information, supervision and advice. In addition, the Works Council has some limited decision-making powers with regard to social aspects. For example, the Works Council decides on:

• Work regulations
• Collective holidays
• Timetables
• And more

An important competence of the Works Council is the right to information about the economic and financial situation of the company or organisation. This means you get regular updates about the financial situation, the workforce, the productivity and the future prospects of the company or organisation.

During the social elections you can make your voice heard. As an elected candidate, you will represent your colleagues in your workplace for the next four years!

The power of social dialogue

Social dialogue matters! Do not be fooled by the misconception that social dialogue in companies makes little difference – that the employer always has the last word, and that employees, the Occupational Health and Safety or the Works Council have little influence. The facts and figures prove otherwise. Scientific research, supported by companies' official annual accounts and balance sheets, confirms this.

In companies with social dialogue:

• Gross annual wages are on average more than 5,000 euros higher than in comparable companies without social dialogue.
• Many more employees have the opportunity to attend training.
• The difference ranges from 10% to even 30% in certain sectors.
• Job security is higher: there are more permanent contracts, less temporary work, fewer interim contracts, and fewer redundancies.
• The gender pay gap is smaller: there are fewer differences between the wages of men and women. 
• There is more attention for well-being at work and fewer accidents at work.

In addition, the presence of social dialogue is reflected in the labour courts. More than 75% of the legal proceedings initiated by ACV-CSC are against employers who do not have social dialogue in the company. What is often arranged through the courts can usually be resolved more quickly via social dialogue and mutual consultation, which is better for both employees and employers.

Also read (in Dutch): ‘A union in the workplace makes the difference’ (Knack, 16 November 2020)