When you are sharing information with us, we want to be upfront about:
- how and why we use it;
- who we share it with;
- the tools you can use to control our use of your information.
To that end, we have created this Privacy Policy. We did our best to make it brief, clear, and easy-to-read. You should read our entire Privacy Policy, but if you just want the basics, you can look at this summary.
The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC)
The ITUC is an unincorporated, not-for-profit association, registered with the Belgian CBE under no. 0886.853.281
The ITUC’s primary mission is the promotion and defence of workers’ rights and interests. We foster international cooperation between trade unions, advocate within the major global institutions and campaign on a global scale.
This Policy covers those activities that involve the use of your information. Sometimes it covers activities by parts of our organization that operate as separate entities, such as Equal Times and the Pan-European Regional Council (PERC). But only when those entities link to this Policy.
The ITUC is responsible (or – in legal terms – the “Data Controller”) for collecting and using your information as explained in this Policy.
What we do with your Information
1. Some information that we work with is sensitive
It is possible that we work with data revealing your:
- political opinions;
- trade union membership.
These types of information are vital to our primary mission; namely the promotion and defence of workers’ rights and interests.
So, depending on their strict necessity for the activities we describe below, we can make use of these sensitive types of information.
2. How did we receive your information?
Depending on our relationship with you, it is possible that your information is public, or that you, your trade union representative or your employer provided it to us.
3. Communication & Assistance; Research, Media & Campaigns; ITUC Events and Activities
Communication & Assistance
When you contact us, or when someone contacts us for you, we process your contact details, the contents of the conversation and all information relating to the further handling of the inquiry.
Depending on the nature of this request, we gather and use your information:
- because you consented to it;
- out of (pre-)contractual necessity; or
- in the context of legal claims.
Research, Media & Campaigns
In the course of activities initiated by us, we can process information such as:
- your responses to interviews, petitions, questionnaires or polls;
- pictures and/or video you shared with us;
- your interaction with a (digital) campaign, (e.g. content you created with our widget; contact details, other information generated through social media platforms such as your username and views, etc.);
- your subscription to and interaction with our newsletter (e.g. your preferred language, if you opened our email, from what country, etc.).
In general, we will ask for your permission to use your information for these activities, such as when you:
- subscribe to our newsletter, or
- take part in one of our (digital) campaigns.
There are instances where we do not ask for your permission, but only when you would reasonably expect us to use your personal information. For instance, we do not ask for your permission when we use analytics to get feedback on your interaction with our newsletter (e.g. if you open the email or when you take part in a campaign that was promoted in our newsletter).
ITUC Events & Activities
Other than the information we receive through Research, Media and Campaigns, we gather additional information for our events and activities:
These types of information can range from:
- contact details and scheduling information (e.g. your agenda and availability);
- more extensive identification details (e.g. your passport information) and financial information
- your attendance and input during these activities and events;
- pictures, video or other recordings (online or offline).
We gather and use this information to make sure that we can follow up on the agreement we have:
- with you (e.g. to accommodate your travel and make sure you can take part in these events and/or arrange for reimbursements);
- with our donors (as part of a budgetary obligation to report).
We will notify you upfront if pictures will be taken and/or video will be recorded at an event or activity.
4. Organizational Purposes; Regulatory and other Legal Obligations
When you are delivering services or goods to us, we process all information necessary to conduct such business with you. These types of information can range from:
- your contact details;
- the contents of our communication;
- the deliverables or other types of work that we agreed upon with;
- financial information.
When you are applying for a job vacancy, or when you submit an open application, we use information you spontaneously provided us as well as information we explicitly demanded from you in the job vacancy announcement, such as:
- your contact details;
- details of your experience and education;
- a cover letter;
In these instances, we use your information out of (pre-)contractual necessity; because you consented to it, or because the law requires us to do so.
Sharing and Transfers
When we share your information with third parties, we demand sufficient proof of their compliance with our Data Protection Principles. Also, we impose contractual obligations to:
- secure an adequate level of protection;
- strictly prohibit the use of your information for other purposes than those specified above.
In our activities we sometimes collaborate with research partners, freelance reporters and affiliated organizations. Occasionally, we share our content and data with them. This might include information we have collected about you. But we are extremely careful about what we share and what others can do with it.
We might also share your information if we have to by law; or for other legal purposes (e.g. the reporting duty we have vis-à-vis our donors or the European Commission), or when we need to protect you or other people from harm.
Links and Platforms
Sometimes we link to services run by other companies or organisations, like Twitter, Zoom or affiliated organisations’ websites. These entities have their own privacy policies, so remember that the information you give them will follow their rules and not ours.
We are implementing an elaborate Data Retention and Disposal Policy – soon to be made available to the public. Until then, kindly note that we only keep your information for as long as we have a valid reason to do so and that we take into account how sensitive this information might be. You can always contact our Data Protection Officer (DPO) for more details.
We have a dedicated team to look after the security and privacy of your information. Access is limited to a strict need-to-know basis. Technical measures are in place to secure our infrastructure, systems, applications, premises and processes.
At the same time, 100% security does not exist. Therefore, we remain vigilant to improve and maximise these efforts. We take your privacy very seriously, but so should you. If you have any concerns that your personal information has been put at risk, please get in touch straight away!
Your Rights – Your Tools
If you have a question about or problem with the way we use your personal data, please contact our DPO, we will reply within one month. Keep in mind that in certain cases we need more details. We want to be sure that we are helping the right person.
Access and Correction
You have the right to ask us about the personal data we hold about you. However, we also need to respect the rights and freedoms of others. In any case, if you think your details are incorrect or outdated, let us know!
Erasure
You have the right to ask for the destruction of your data. Keep in mind that this will not always be possible. For example, legal obligations could prevent us from accommodating your request.
Limitation and Objection
In some cases, you can object to the use of your information. You can also ask us to limit the use of your information.
Withdrawing your consent
When our use of your data is based on your consent, information on how to revoke your consent will be readily available. For example: when you want to unsubscribe from our Newsletter, you can easily do so by clicking the link at the bottom of the e-mail (‘Subscription Centre’).
Complaints?
If you think we have failed to resolve your question or complaint, you can contact the Belgian Data Protection Authority.