What we keep about you,
and for how long

1. Who we are

The Employment Agency (TEA) mediates between skilled tradespeople and clients, mainly in construction. TEA is the trading name of Derin Consultancy BV. This company is the controller responsible for all personal data described in this policy.

2. What information we collect

If you are looking for work through us

• Name, address, telephone number and email address
• Date of birth and nationality
• CV: work experience, education, languages and skills
• Certificates and attestations, such as VCA or a mobile elevating work platform certificate
• Driving licence and your own transport, where relevant to the assignment
• Your availability, preferred region and requested rate or salary
• Information provided by your references, if you supply them

Only when you actually start working

We do not request the following information during the initial introduction, but only when there is a specific assignment:

• Copy of your identity document
• National registration number, for social-security and tax administration
• Bank account number, so that we can pay you
• Company and VAT numbers, if you are self-employed
• Work or residence permit, if required
• Proof of insurance, if you are self-employed

Sensitive information

We do not request or record information about your health, beliefs, political opinions, sexual orientation, ethnic origin or trade-union membership. There are two exceptions, both only with your explicit consent and only where genuinely necessary for an assignment:

• A physical limitation or allergy that determines which work you can perform safely. We record what you can or cannot do, not your medical file.
• An extract from the criminal record where the client is legally required to request one for the position. We review it and record only whether it is in order.

If you work for a client

For business contacts at companies, we keep the person’s name, position, business email address and telephone number, together with the company’s details.

3. Why we use your information and our legal basis

The GDPR requires us to have a legal basis for every use of personal data. These are ours:

What we do not do: sell your data, use it for purposes other than those listed above, or make automated decisions about you. Every match is reviewed by a person.

4. How long we keep your information

Before the one-year period expires, we will ask whether you want to remain in our database. If you no longer hear from us, or if you do not reply, we delete your information. Information we are legally required to keep remains stored until the applicable period expires.

5. Who we share your information with

We share your CV, certificates and availability with clients only after you have confirmed that you are interested in that assignment. We provide your telephone number and email address only once the match has been agreed.

The following parties may also receive access, always limited to what they need:

• Our accountant, for invoicing and annual accounts
• The social secretariat, if you are employed through us
• Our software providers that host our email and files
• Government authorities where the law requires us to provide information

We have a data-processing agreement with each of these parties. Your bank account number, identity document and anything you share with us confidentially are never provided to a client.

6. Work abroad

If we mediate an assignment outside Belgium, your information will be provided to the client in that country. The same rules apply throughout the European Economic Area. For a country outside the EEA, we do this only with your consent and use the European Commission’s standard contractual clauses as a safeguard. We tell you the country in advance.

7. How we protect your information

• Our laptops and telephones are encrypted and password-protected
• Two-factor authentication is enabled for our email and storage accounts
• Only people who need your information for their work can access it
• Paper files are kept in a locked cabinet and are shredded when disposed of
• We make encrypted daily backups stored at a second location

If something nevertheless goes wrong and this creates a risk for you, we will notify you and report the incident to the Belgian Data Protection Authority within 72 hours.

8. Your rights

You can make the following requests regarding the information we hold about you:

Email or call us and tell us what you want. We will ask you to identify yourself so that we do not accidentally disclose someone else’s information. You will receive a response within one month. If your request is complex, we may extend that period by two months; we will tell you in time. There is no charge.

If you withdraw consent, we stop the processing that relied on that consent. Processing carried out before the withdrawal remains lawful.

9. Website and cookies

Our website, theemploymentagency.eu, uses only cookies required for the website to function. We do not track you, advertise to you or share information with advertising networks. If you send us a message through the contact form, we use that information only to answer you.

10. If you are not satisfied

Please tell us first. It is usually a misunderstanding that we can resolve quickly. If we cannot resolve the matter together, you can submit a complaint to the supervisory authority:

You can also take the matter to court. One option does not exclude the other.

11. Changes

If the way we work changes, we update this policy. The version and date appear at the top. If the change is important, we will notify you rather than leaving you to discover it yourself.

This policy has been prepared in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (EU 2016/679) and the Belgian Act of 30 July 2018.