The Congress is the supreme authority of the ETUC. It meets once every four years, the last meeting taking place in Athens in 2011. The ETUC Congress is composed of delegates from the affiliated organisations in proportion to their membership. The Congress elects the members of the Executive Committee, the President, the General Secretary, the two Deputy General Secretaries and four Confederal Secretaries.

The General Secretary Bernadette Ségol is the head and the spokesperson of the Confederation. The President Ignacio Fernández Toxo (CC OO - Spain) chairs the ETUC’s governing bodies.

The Executive Committee meets four times a year. It is composed of representatives from the affiliated organisations in proportion to their membership. If necessary, decisions can be taken by a qualified two-thirds majority vote. It is the Executive Committee which decides on the mandate and the composition of the delegations for negotiations with the European employers’ organisations in the European Social Dialogue, and which assesses the results.

The Steering Committee, a smaller body, is responsible for following up the decisions of the Executive Committee between its sessions. It meets eight times a year and is composed of 21 elected members from the Executive Committee.

The ETUC Constitution amended by the 12th Congress, in Athens, May 2011