ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the specific features of the relationship between the Belgian unions and the unemployed. It develops theoretical reflections on the characteristics of trade union movements and their effects on the relationship between unions, unemployment and the unemployed. The chapter describes the Belgian system of unemployment indemnification and presents the role unions play in that scheme. It deals with the evolution of unemployment rates in Western Europe since the 1960s, focusing on the case of Belgium. The chapter points out that the Belgian unions pay specific attention to the problem of unemployment. It uses the French acronyms through a specific public institution called the Caisse Auxiliaire de Paiement des Allocations de Chmage (CAPAC), that has only been created for the people who do not wish to be members of a union. The chapter discusses the impact that the dramatic increase of unemployment starting in the 1970s has had on unions in such a Ghent system country.
