Belgium’s third-largest trade union has rebranded itself as SYNOVA, replacing its previous name, the General Federation of Liberal Trade Unions of Belgium (CGSLB/ACLVB).
The announcement was made during its congress on Saturday, where SYNOVA outlined plans to adopt a “modern trade unionism,” according to its president, Gert Truyens. He stated that strikes and protests would only be a “last resort.”
After 130 years, the term “liberal” has been dropped from the union’s name. Truyens explained that the word no longer reflected the organisation’s identity as it had been wrongly affiliated with liberal political parties, despite having cut ties with them long ago.
The new name, SYNOVA, combines the Greek “syn-” meaning “together” and the Latin “nova” meaning “new.” It marks the culmination of a years-long renewal process aimed at promoting an independent and forward-looking vision.
