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Syndic (Latin:syndicus;Greek:σύνδικος,sýndikos, 'one who helps in a court of justice, an advocate, representative') is a term applied in certain countries to an officer of government with varying powers, and secondly to a representative or delegate of a university, institution or other corporation, entrusted with special functions or powers.[1]
The meaning which underlies both applications is that of representative or delegate.Du Cange, after defining the word asdefensor,patronus,advocatus, proceeds: "Syndici maxime appellantur Actores universitatum, collegiorum, societatum et aliorum corporum, per quos, tanquam in republica quod communiter agi fierive oportet, agitur et fit" ('Syndics are chiefly called the actors of universities, colleges, societies, and other bodies, through whom, as in a republic, what must be pursued and done in common, is pursued and done'), and gives several examples from the 13th century of the use of the term.[2]The most familiar use ofsyndic in the first sense is that of the Italiansindaco and the Frenchsyndic who is the head of the administration of acomune, comparable to amayor, and a government official, elected by the residents of the commune.[1]
As indicated above, inItaly and some Italian and French speaking parts ofSwitzerland, the termsindaco orsindaca, orsyndic, is equivalent to the English termmayor, in this case, the head of the administration of acomune.
In areas whereCatalan orOccitan are spoken, the term has been used since Medieval times. At present it is used in a variety of cases. Thespeaker ofAndorra's parliament is known as theSíndic General (General Syndic) orSíndic Primer (First Syndic). Until the1993 Constitution, theFirst Syndic was the effectivehead of government of Andorra.[3][4] Similarly, theSíndic d'Aran (Occitan for Aran Syndic) is the head of the administration of theAran Valley inCatalonia.[5] InCatalonia, theBalearic Islands and theValencian Community, theSíndic de Greuges orSíndica de Greuges ("advocate of grievances") is theombudsman orombudswoman,[6][7][8] while theSíndic de Comptes orSíndica de Comptes is a board member of the Public Audit Office in each of the three regions.[9][10][11] In theValencian Parliament, thespokesperson of aparliamentary group is called asíndic orsíndica, and together they form theJunta de Síndics (Board of Spokespersons),[12] while in theHorta de València region (the area around the city ofValencia), asíndic is also a member of theWater Tribunal (Tribunal de les Aigües), the body in charge of regulating irrigation matters.[13][14] InAlguer,Sardinia, thesíndic is the equivalent of mayor.[15]
A syndic is a trustee, the member of themunicipal council responsible for monitoring and defending municipal interests. The syndic is in charge of legally representing the city council, procuring justice and the legality of the municipal administration. The syndic is also responsible for monitoring and managing the municipal finances. They must participate collegially with the mayor and the rest of the municipal council to make decisions on the political management of the municipality.[16]
In Europe in the Middle Ages and Renaissance, nearly all companies, guilds, and theUniversity of Paris had representative bodies the members of which were termedsyndici. Similarly in England, the Regent House of theUniversity of Cambridge, which is the legislative body, delegates certain functions to special committees of its members, appointed from time to time by Grace (a proposal offered to the Regent House and confirmed by it); these committees are termed "syndicates" and are permanent or occasional, and the members are styled "the syndics" of the particular committee or of the institution which they administer; thus there are the syndics of theFitzwilliam Museum, of theCambridge University Press, of local examinations, etc.[1]
The termsindicat inCatalan is used in a broad sense to mean an association for the defence of the economic or social interests of its members, and therefore is often used generically to refer tolabour organizations, as well as in the titles of certainlabour organizations or federations (for instance, the Confederació Sindical de Treballadors de Catalunya, the Unió Sindical Obrera de Catalunya, the Coordinadora Obrera Sindical, etc.), student organizations (Sindicat d'Estudiants dels Països Catalans, Sindicat d'Estudiants del País Valencià, Sindicat Democràtic d'Estudiants de la Universitat de Barcelona, etc.) and journalist organizations (Sindicat de Periodistes de Catalunya / Sindicat de Professionals de la Comunicació, etc.), among others. The members or leaders of these organisations, however, are not calledsíndics.
In some countries, notably France, Belgium and Brazil, asyndic de copropriété (Dutchsyndicus, Portuguesesíndico) is an important figure in millions of lives, elected by owners of condominiums to represent property owners in the management of the co-owned building or property. While the profession is regulated, fees are not, and in France complaints of overcharging are frequent. TheAssociation des responsables de copropriété (ARC) reported that fees rose by 4% in 2016, though the rate of inflation was only 0.2%, and since 2014 three of the largestsyndics in Paris have raised their fees by amounts ranging from 26% to 37%.[17]
One special use of the term applies to the Franciscan order of priests and brothers. TheOrder of Friars Minor (OFM), as opposed to the Order of Friars Minor Conventual (OFM Conv.), is forbidden by its constitutions from owning property, as part of its commitment to communal poverty. Various arrangements therefore exist whereby churches and houses of the order are owned by the Holy See itself, or the local diocese or, sometimes, by a "syndic", an independent layman who is the actual owner of the land but who loans it to the friars.
Withinsyndicalist andanarcho-syndicalist organizations, a syndic is a member of an autonomous union, also called asyndicate, which make up the basic organizational unit of society. As these models are organized along principles of non-hierarchy and direct democracy, the titlesyndic is applied to all in the syndicate and does not imply a position of power over any other member, unlike older usages of the title.
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Syndic".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 26 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 293.Authority control databases: National |
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