SECTION 1. STRUCTURES

Employers’ associations also distinguish between industrial and multi-industry organisations.

Employers join the professional association of the branch of industry in which they are active. These associations are geographically organised at local, regional and national levels.

At the national level, industrial federations are centralised by the multi-industry organisation. These federations, rather than individual employers, are members of the multi-industry organisation.

The Belgian Federation of Enterprises groups the different industrial organisations, such as Agoria (metal sector), Fedustria (a.o. textile sector), Essencia (chemical sector) and CEPA (port of Antwerp).

The interests of the self-employed are defended by UNIZO and UCM; the agricultural employers are united in the Boerenbond and the Federation Wallonne de l'Agriculture.

Apart from these structures there are some important regional employers’ organisations, such as the Vlaams netwerk van ondernemingen and the Union Wallone des Entreprises. ETION and the Association chretienne des dirigeants et cadres319 organise employers on the basis of their (Christian) ideology.

Although the Belgian Federation of Enterprises and its main affiliated federations are actually associations just like representative workers’ organisations, a certain number have adopted either the status of professional association or non-profit organisation.

Provided they are representative, employers’ organisations can also participate in social consultations. Indeed, the provisions of Article 3 of the Collective Labour Agreements Act apply to both employers’ associations and unions. This means that only multi-industry organisations set up at national level with representatives in the National Economic Council and the National Labour Council are representative. Professional organisations can be awarded representative status on the recommendation of the National Labour Council. They do not have to meet the same quantitative criteria as employers’ associations.

SECTION 2. INTERNATIONAL EMPLOYERS’ ORGANISATIONS

The Belgian Federation of Enterprises is a member of the International Organisation of Employers. At the European level, it is affiliated to Businesseurope, which defends employers’ interests in the European Union.

UNIZO and UCM are members of the European Association of Craft, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises. The employers of the semi-public sector are united in the European Centre of Employers and Enterprises providing Public Services.

A lot of sectoral employers’ organisations also reside under a larger European or international structure.