General Union of Public Services

The General Union of Public Services (Dutch: Algemene Centrale der Openbare Diensten, ACOD; French: Centrale Générale des Services Publics, CGSP) is a trade union representing public sector workers in Belgium.

The union's origins lie in four unions active before World War II: the National Union of Rail, Post, Telegraph, Telephone, Marine and Aviation Workers, the Central Union of Public Service Workers, the Socialist Union of Education Workers and the National Union of Civilian National Defense Staff. These unions ceased to operate during the war, but various branches survived and in 1942 they formed the General Association of Public Services (ASOD). In 1945, the General Federation of Belgian Labour (ABVV) was established. At a conference on 28 and 29 April, it merged ASOD with several recently created unions of government workers, to form ACOD.^[1]

The union soon became one of the most important in the ABVV, with membership growing from 70,000 in 1945, to 250,000 in 1997. In 1968, the small Belgian Union of Tramway and Municipal Transport Workers merged in. All public service employees are eligible to join the union, and by 1995, 40% of its members worked in administration, 20% in health, with the remainder divided between the railways, communication, utilities, and other minor sectors. It has generally been associated with the left-wing of the union movement.^[1][2]

1945: Joseph Bracops

1946: Henri Janssen

1957: Georges Debunne

1968: Edmond Hamont

1982: Roger Piton

1993: Jacques Lorez

2000: Henri Dujardin

2003: Guy Biamont

2006: Karel Stessens

2014: Michel Meyer

• Official website