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Governance bodies

Governance bodies

The European Transport Workers’ Federation is a democratic federation of transport trade unions. Our policy positions, campaigns and actions are the result of democratic decision making and approval. Various statutory bodies and committees, elected by our affiliate unions, form the governance structure of the ETF. The ETF Secretariat in Brussels has a small professional team who support and coordinate the ETF’s work.

Each ETF Section – the bodies that coordinate our activities in a specific transport sector – also has democratic governance systems and committees. Those are explained on the pages dedicated to our work in the sector in question.

The rules about ETF decision making and governance are set out in our Constitution.

Executive Committee

The Executive Committee (EC) is the governing body of the ETF between Congresses and it meets at least twice a year. The current committee was elected in May 2022.

The composition of the EC is as follows: 

  • The President
  • The Chairs of the Sections, of the Women’s Committee and of the Youth Committee
  • The ETF General Secretary
  • The General Secretary of the ITF
  • 39 members elected by Congress in sub-regional groups
  • 8 further representatives of European women
  • 3 representatives of European young workers. 

Giorgio Tuti

President, ETF

Switzerland


 

Livia Spera

General Secretary, ETF

Belgium


 

Stephen Cotton

General Secretary, ITF

United Kingdom


 

Sara Tripodi

Chair of the Women's Committee

Italy


 

Céline Ruffié

Co-Chair Youth Committee

France

 

Vacant

Co-Chair Youth Committee

...

Sub-region : Austria, Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland

Roman Hebenstreit

Austria

 

Martin Burket

Germany


 

Christine Behle

Germany


 

Georges Merenz

Luxembourg


 

Matthias Hartwich

Switzerland

 

Sub-region: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden

Jan Villadsen

Denmark


 

Ismo Kokko

Finland


 

Terje Samuelsen

Norway


 

Tommy Wreeth

Sweden

 

Johan Lindholm

Sweden

 

Sub-region: Belgium, France, The Netherlands

Gunther Blauwens

Belgium

 

Koen de Mey

Belgium


 

David Gobé

France


 

Stéphane Bourgeon

France


 

Edwin Atema

The Netherlands

Sub-region: Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Ukraine

Attila Verestóy

Hungary


 

Marek Szymczak

Poland


 

Helena Svobodová

Czech Republic


 

Oleksiy Semerun

Ukraine

Sub-region: Great Britain and Ireland

Willie Noone

Ireland


 

Alex Gordon

Great Britain


 

Adrian Jones

Great Britain


 

Danny McGowan

Great Britain

Sub-region: Spain and Portugal

Juana Olmeda Gomez

Spain


 

Carmen Donate

Spain


 

Carlos António Figueiredo Batista

Portugal


 

 

Sub-region: Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey

Alina Milusheva

Bulgaria


 

Florian Marin

Romania


 

Kenan Öztürk

Turkey

 

Sub-region: Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia


 

Violeta Lepiksone

Latvia


 

Jüri Lember

Estonia

 

Sub-region: Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Slovenia, North Macedonia, Serbia

 

Neven Melvan

Croatia


 

Zlatko Ratej

Slovenia


 

Sub-region: Belarus, Georgia, Russia

 

Yury Sukhorukov

Russia

Women's Representatives

Vacant

vacant


 

Antoaneta Stoimenova

Bulgaria


 

Patricia Lauder Garcia

Spain


 

Olivia Janisch

Austria


 

Silvana Francken-Belfi

Netherlands

 

Tracy Clugston

United Kingdom

 

Erina Kjaer Bryn

Norway

 

Vana Bosto

Croatia

 

Young Workers' Representatives

Frederik Birkebæk Oksholm

Denmark


 

Vacant

Vacant


 

Sedat Durel

Turkey

Section Chairs

Jacques Kerkhof

Inland Waterways

Belgium

 

Marc Loridan

Dockers

Belgium

 

Juan Manuel Trujillo Castillo

Fisheries

Spain
 

Kenny Reinhold

Maritime Transport

Sweden

 

Stefan Thyroke

Road

Germany

 

Giorgio Tuti

Railways

Switzerland

 

Oliver Richardson

Civil Aviation

United Kingdom

 

Agreed Observers

Stefano Malorgio

Italy


 

Dirk Schlömer

Germany


 

Anu Hietala

NTF

Management Committee

The Management Committee (MC) decides on actions to implement the policies laid down by the Congress and the Executive Committee. Furthermore, the MC has the task of dealing with all financial, personnel and organisational questions, as well as preparing the agenda of the EC. It is the political representative of the ETF towards the European institutions as well as the ETUC. 

The MC consists of: The President 2 Vice-Presidents The General Secretaries of the ETF and ITF 3 ordinary members elected by the Executive Committee The Chair of the Women’s Committee 2 Co-Chairs of the  Youth Committee The current MC was elected in May 2022.

 

CONTACT US

Committee members

Giorgio Tuti

President


 

Jan Villadsen

Vice-President


 

Juana Olmeda

Vice-President


 

Livia Spera

ETF General Secretary


 

Stephen Cotton

ITF General Secretary

 

Martin Burkert

Ordinary member


 

Adrian Jones

Ordinary member


 

Neven Melvan

Ordinary member


 

Sara Tripodi

Chair of the Women's Committee

 

Céline Ruffié

Co-Chair of the Youth Committee

Women's Committee

The ETF Women’s Committee was established in May 2001 in Zagreb, during the 1st ETF Ordinary Congress, as one of ETF’s policymaking bodies. 

At the 6th ETF Congress, the Committee was restructured to strengthen member engagement. Changes included the creation of the ETF Women’s Steering Committee and the opening of the Women’s Committee to all affiliated unions declaring women members. 

Today, the Women’s Committee brings together representatives from all ETF affiliates with women members, ensuring every union has the right to participate. 

The Steering Committee is made up of: The Chair, elected by the Conference. Eight ordinary members, elected by the Conference, including two Vice-Chairwomen chosen at their first meeting. One woman representative from each ETF Section, and one from the Youth Committee. 

The Chair and the eight elected members also represent women transport workers on the ETF Executive Committee, while the Chair serves ex officio on the ETF Management Committee.

Chair of Women's Committee

Sara Tripodi

FILT-CGIL

Italy

Ordinary Members of the Women's Steering Committee

Vacant

Vacant


 

Patricia Lauder Garcia

FSC-CCOO

Spain


 

Silvana Francken-Belfi

FNV

Netherlands


 

Vana Bosto

Seafarers Union of Croatia

Croatia


 

Erina Bryn Kjaer

Norwegian Seafarers' Union

Norway

 

Tracie Clugston

Unite the Union

United Kingdom


 

Olivia Janisch

Vida

Austria


 

Antoaneta Stoimenova

FTTUB

Bulgaria

 

Women's Committee Section Representatives

Liesbet Verboven

ACV Transcom, Belgium

Road Transport Representative

 

Line Heimstad

Norwegian Seafarers Union

Maritime Transport Representative

 

Olga Losinskaya

ver.di, Germany

Inland Waterways Representative

 

Sigrun Jonsdottir

Icelandic Cabin Crew Association FFI

Civil Aviation Representative

 

Jolanta Skalska

EVG, Germany

Railways Representative

 

Sylvie Roux

FGTE-CFDT, France

Fisheries Representative

 

Fatma Nur Bedemli Akkaya

Liman-Is, Turkey

Dockers Representative

 

Women's Committee Youth Representative

Lara Santamaría García

FSC-CCOO

Spain

Lay Auditors

The lay auditors are elected by Congress to supervise the ETF’s finances. They check our financial transactions at least every six months. 

Lay auditors are elected from among the affiliates which are not directly elected to the Executive Committee, and have access to the books and accounts of the ETF at all times.

Koen De Craene

BTB, Belgium


 

Kirsti Andrea Hauge

Norwegian Seafarers' Union, Norway


 

Simon Weller

ASLEF, United Kingdom


 

Serge Schimoff

OGB-L, Luxembourg


 

Gwenaëlle Hirtzig

UNSA Transport, France

...