Newsflash
Social elections

On day X (between 9 and 22 February 2016, depending on the date of the elections) lots of information with regard to the organisation of the social elections needs to be prepared. Companies with a works council and/or a CPPW should moreover discuss this information within these bodies in advance. 

On day X, the works council, the committee for prevention and protection at work (CPPW) or, if such bodies do not exist yet, the employer, must inform the workers about:

  • the date and schedule of the elections;
  • the address and the denomination of the technical unit of exploitation;
  • the number of mandates per WC and CPPW and per category of workers employed at day X: blue-collar workers, white-collar workers, young workers, executives (only for the works council);
  • the temporary electoral lists or the places where they can be consulted. These lists with the persons that will be able to vote need to be issued by category and contain all employees that fulfil the electoral requirements on day X (in an alphabetical order and with a number);
  • the list of the management staff with an indication of the denomination and the content of the functions, or the places where it can be consulted;
  • the list of the executives or the places where it can be consulted (only for the works council);
  • the dates of the electoral proceedings (calendar of the different steps);
  • the person or service in charge of sending or distributing the electoral notice;
  • the decision whether there will be proceeded with an electronic voting system.

The announcement (which explicitly mentions the date) needs to be posted. This can be done electronically, provided that all employees have access to it during their normal work hours. A copy of this document has to be sent to the representative trade unions. This can be sent by post or through information that needs to be uploaded at the web application of the Federal Public Service for employment, work and social consultation (when there is already a works council/CPPW in place, the electoral lists do not need to be added). When there is no works council/CPPW in place, a copy of the above information needs to be communicated to the trade union delegation (if any). 

> Action point
Check whether you have fully prepared the announcement for day X. In this regard, preliminary consultation of the works council and/or the CPPW is required.