SETCa

What SETCa does

SETCa (Syndicat des Employés, Techniciens et Cadres de Belgique) is the oldest professional federation in Belgium representing employees, technicians, and cadres across all economic sectors. Founded in 1892 and affiliated with FGTB (Fédération Générale du Travail de Belgique), SETCa represents over 400,000 workers at the federal level and operates through 21 regional sections spanning Wallonia, Flanders, and Brussels-Capital. The federation organizes workers across four primary sectors — Commerce, Finances, Industrie, and Non-Marchand — with growing coverage of Intérim (temporary work) and SEL (subsidized free education) segments.

The organization provides union membership services including legal representation, collective bargaining, salary indexation negotiations, social election support, strike coordination, and individualized labor law advice. Its technology footprint is modest: a SETCa Online Member Portal and e-services platform that handle affiliation management, targeted newsletter distribution, and member account access, supplemented by standard web, email, and social media channels (Twitter/X, regional Facebook pages). There is no mobile app, no public API, and no disclosed AI/ML capability. Regional offices deliver the bulk of service through face-to-face engagement with sector-specialized secretarial leadership.

SETCa generates revenue through monthly membership dues (cotisations) collected via SEPA direct debit, scaled per sector and joint committee (commission paritaire), supplemented by legal services fees that were restructured effective July 1, 2026 with annual inflation indexation. As a non-profit trade union organization (syndicat professionnel), SETCa does not publish financial data. The federation is member-owned and governed, with a federal structure (SETCa Fédéral) coordinating 21 regional entities (sections régionales), each with its own enterprise number, and is embedded within the broader FGTB confederation and international union networks including ITF, UNI Care, and IFSI.

Name

SETCa

Legal name

SETCa - Syndicat des Employés, Techniciens et Cadres de Belgique

Website

https://setca.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1892

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

SETCa is Belgium's oldest trade union federation for employees, technicians, and managers, representing over 400,000 workers across commerce, finance, industry, and non-market sectors via 21 regional offices under FGTB.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussels

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices21 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues (Cotisations): SETCa generates revenue through monthly membership fees paid by affiliated workers. The fees are collected via SEPA direct debit system. Dues vary by sector and commission paritaire.
2. Legal Services Fees: The organization provides legal services to members, with adapted pricing effective July 1, 2026, adjusted annually based on official inflation figures.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

SETCa is a Belgian trade union federation representing more than 400,000 employees, technicians, and managers across commerce, finance, industry, and non-market sectors. The organization provides membership services including collective bargaining representation, legal advice, salary indexation negotiations, social elections support, strike coordination, and worker protection advocacy. SETCa operates through 21 regional sections across Belgium delivering face-to-face services supported by an online member portal.

Product overview

SETCa (Syndicat des Employés, Techniciens et Cadres de Belgique) is a trade union federation affiliated with the FGTB (Fédération Générale du Travail de Belgique). Rather than a software product company, SETCa provides union membership services, legal assistance, sectoral representation, and advocacy for over 400,000 workers. The organization operates 21 regional offices across Belgium and offers services including legal advice, strike support, collective bargaining representation, and social welfare assistance. SETCa does not offer a traditional technology product portfolio.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Trade Union Membership Services Core union membership services for employees, technicians, and managers across Belgian economic sectors, providing worker representation, collective bargaining, legal advice, and advocacy for workers' rights. Members pay monthly dues via SEPA direct debit.
• Legal Advice and Representation Services Legal services provided to SETCa members through regional offices, including legal representation in labor disputes, legal information, and adapted tariff structure effective July 1, 2026 with annual adjustments based on official inflation figures.

Quantifiable outcome

• 400,000+ workers represented at federal level
• +2 more outcomes

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and regional.

• Indonesian Trade Unions (Indonesian textile and garment sector unions)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2024SETCa and IFSI work with Indonesian unions in the textile and garment sector since 2017. These unions shared testimonies about Indonesia's Omnibus law impact. The partnership involves international solidarity, knowledge sharing, and coordinated union action against anti-worker legislation.
• UNI CarecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2024SETCa participates in UNI Care global conferences for health sector unions. Vice-president Johan Van Eeghem spoke at the 3rd UNI Care World Conference in Budapest (September 2024) on social dialogue and collective bargaining for managing workplace violence. SETCa shared its ICOBA best practice for handling aggression and inappropriate behavior in the non-market sector.
• IFSI (Institut de Formation Syndicale Internationale de la FGTB)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017SETCa collaborates with IFSI since 2017 on international union training and solidarity. Together they organized study days on Indonesia's Omnibus law. IFSI provides international formation programs for FGTB affiliates including SETCa.
• FGTB (Fédération Générale du Travail de Belgique)coreOthersSETCa is one of the centrales of the FGTB (Fédération Générale du Travail de Belgique), Belgium's largest trade union confederation. The partnership involves collective bargaining coordination, shared resources, and unified worker representation at national and international levels. SETCa is also the first unitary federation of employees within FGTB.
• ITF (International Transport Workers' Federation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSETCa participates in ITF congresses. The ITF is the global union federation of transport workers, representing more than 18.5 million transport workers in more than 150 countries. SETCa vice-president Johan Van Eeghem participated in ITF congresses, and SETCa co-sponsored a motion on zero tolerance for the far right.
• ICOBA (Kenniscentrum voor Aanpak Grensoverschrijdend Gedrag)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICOBA is a knowledge and expertise center managed by social partners that helps delegates and Non-market organizations with policies and management of aggression and inappropriate behavior in the workplace. SETCa shares this as a best practice internationally through UNI Care.
• FGTB NamurregionalOthersRegional FGTB structure that coordinates with SETCa Namur for inter-union activities and social dialogue at the regional level.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• UNI Global Union: Global union federation for services and care workers, with which SETCa collaborates through UNI Care conferences. Comparable in mission (worker representation, collective bargaining) but at global rather than national scale.
• ITF (International Transport Workers' Federation): Global union federation of which SETCa is an active participant via congress motions and joint advocacy. Comparable as a membership-based worker-representation organization, though operating globally and sector-specific (transport) rather than nationally across sectors.

Regional players

• CGT (Confédération Générale du Travail): Major French trade union confederation. Comparable in worker-representation mission, sectoral bargaining approach, and dues-based funding, though primarily active in France and operationally distinct in political orientation.
• CFDT (Confédération Française Démocratique du Travail): Major French trade union with analogous structure of sectoral federations and regional representation, plus membership dues model. Comparable in operational model and continental European labor-law environment, but operating in France rather than Belgium.

Direct peers

• CSC (Confédération des Syndicats Chrétiens / ACV): Belgium's other major trade union confederation competing directly with FGTB/SETCa for white-collar and blue-collar members. Comparable in mission (worker representation, collective bargaining), geographic scope (Belgium), and member-funded dues model.
• CGSLB (Syndicat Libéral): Smaller Belgian trade union confederation competing in the same domestic labor-representation market as SETCa. Comparable on Belgian labor-law advocacy, sectoral bargaining, and dues-based membership model, though smaller in scale.

Broad incumbents

• ABVV (Algemene Belgische Vakvereniging voor Vrijheid en Vooruitgang): Dutch-language counterpart reference to the FGTB (Fédération Générale du Travail de Belgique), the same confederation of which SETCa is a centrale. Identical organization, listed separately because members refer to it by either French or Dutch name.
• FGTB (Fédération Générale du Travail de Belgique): Parent confederation of SETCa and Belgium's largest union. Operates broadly across industries and worker categories with multiple centrales; SETCa is one of its specialized federations, making FGTB directly comparable as the overarching peer.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SETCa_FGTB
• Facebookfacebook.com/SETCa.FGTB
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/setca-bbtk

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Subsidiaries17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SETCa