Sablon appointed First President of the Ghent Labour Court

Ms. Sablon S., counselor at the Ghent Labour Court, has been appointed First President of this jurisdiction for a five-year term. The decision was published in the Belgian Official Gazette No. 236 of October 16, 2026 (2nd edition), page 55839, under official reference C − 2026/007604, in the “Judicial Order” section of the Federal Public Service Justice.

Assumption of office subject to the taking of the oath

The Royal Decree of October 2, 2026, enters into force on the date the oath is taken, which cannot take place before October 31, 2026. The text therefore does not set a firm date for the assumption of office: this depends on the swearing-in of the magistrate, which will occur at the earliest at the end of the month.

The mandate is concluded for a term of five years. It places Sablon S. at the head of the social appeals jurisdiction for the judicial district of East Flanders, headquartered in Ghent.

A second mandate governed by the Judicial Code

In accordance with Article 259quater, § 4, of the Judicial Code, the magistrate is also appointed to the position of Chamber President at the Ghent Labour Court. However, this second mandate will only be exercised once the conditions provided for by this legal provision are met.

The elements published in the Belgian Official Gazette are as follows:

• Current position: counselor at the Ghent Labour Court;
• New mandate: First President of this court;
• Duration: five years;
• Accessory mandate: Chamber President, exercise subject to the conditions of Article 259quater, § 4, of the Judicial Code;
• Entry into force: date of the taking of the oath, at the earliest October 31, 2026.

A rectification and an appeal period

The same decree includes a rectification of a previous publication. In the Belgian Official Gazette of September 18, 2026, page 50786, regarding the appointment of Fissette K. as substitute justice of the peace for the first canton of Hasselt and substitute justice of the peace for the second canton of Hasselt, the word “Fisette” must be replaced by the word “Fissette”.

Furthermore, the text recalls the right of appeal open against the individual acts it contains:

• Deadline: sixty days after publication;
• Jurisdiction: administrative litigation section of the Council of State;
• Address: registry of the Council of State, rue de la Science 33, 1040 Brussels;
• Procedures: registered postal mail or electronic procedure via the “e-Procedure” section of the Council of State website.

A social jurisdiction in motion

This appointment takes place amidst a busy period for the Ghent Labour Court. The Belgian Official Gazette of October 15, 2026, published several notices to representative organizations signaling vacancies for effective social counselors representing workers/laborers in this court, replacing Vermeire Carina and Puype Dominiek.

These two honorable resignations were granted by royal decree on October 4, 2026, at the end of December 2026, the month of their sixty-seventh birthday, with the parties authorized to retain the honorary title of their positions. Representative organizations have three months from the publication of the notice to submit their candidacies to the FPS Employment, Labour and Social Dialogue.

The appointment of Sablon S. therefore occurs at a time when the social jurisdiction of East Flanders is simultaneously renewing its leadership and several social counselor seats. For litigants and social law practitioners, the concrete scope of the mandate remains pending the taking of the oath: it is on this date, and not that of the decree or its publication, that the new first president will effectively exercise her prerogatives, for a term of five years.

Source: Belgian Official Gazette No. 236 of October 16, 2026, royal decree of October 2, 2026, reference C − 2026/007604, p. 55839.