As the COVID-19 health crisis continues to unfold, we have been active from the very beginning, demanding that our transport workers’ rights are protected. Transport workers are on the frontline, in direct contact with passengers and are putting themselves at risk of contracting the virus by carrying out their everyday duties. They are also the ones being impacted by the disastrous economic consequences of the virus. Now more than ever, it is time for everyone to step up their efforts to protect our transport workers! We are proud of them, as they are keeping Europe moving during these troubled times as they ensure that medical supplies and essential goods for our survival are delivered.
We are relaying our demands to the European Institutions, and are making sure that our voices are heard. We are seeing various measures put into place, and while we commend taking action: none of these measures should lead to permanent loss of jobs or the reduction of salaries. Employees’ social rights must be protected in all cases. Whatever changes are made to working conditions, these must be temporary, negotiated with unions, and no measure should be used as an excuse to take away workers’ rights.
The ETF is in constant contact with our members, and below you will find links to the latest developments in each sector.
We will continue fighting for transport workers’ rights during these troubled times! Solidarity!
For more updates on the different transport sectors, click on ETF sections’ icons:
We’ve created visuals that can be used to show solidarity during these trying times as well as visuals with our views and demands on how the COVID-19 pandemic should be dealt with:
You can find posters with a list of general demands for creating measures and visuals with individual points here.
You can find solidarity visuals here:
- the general transport workers messages as Facebook covers here, Twitter covers here, and posters here,
- visuals for workers in fisheries here, and
- posters with a blank space to print out and include your own message here.
For information on horizontal, cross-sectoral Social Dialogue agreements with employers and Governments in reaction to COVID-19, you may go to ETUC’s dedicated webpage.
More about COVID-19 I Protecting Transport Workers' Rights
See AllEU Social Partners in civil aviation say NO to abusive behaviour against aviation workers
In a joint statement, the European Social partners in Civil Aviation agreed to join efforts to tackle one of the large spread issues which highly impacted the sector during the COVID pandemic and the summer 2022 season: the disruptive passengers.
For a just transition and a fair transformation of the aviation sector
The transition to a more sustainable aviation sector will impact workers and trade unions are demanding concrete measures to ensure a just transition and a fair transformation of the sector which is inclusive and maintains and creates decent jobs.
Investors divest from Wizz Air over its poor performance on labour rights
Danish pension fund Akademiker Pension announced today that they had sold their shares in the London-listed low-cost carrier Wizz Air, after the company failed to convince them that it was taking meaningful actions to address ongoing concerns about how it treats its workers.
Livia Spera, General Secretary of the European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF), commented: “These investors called Wizz Air out for their poor performance back in October 2021, yet it took almost three months for the company to meet them to discuss why Wizz Air does not recognise unions.”
The rise and the foreseen fall of a Hungarian low-cost carrier trying to build its own European Air Empire / Part II
Part II – A Ukrainian story: Coincidence or deliberate action?
The idea of having a trade union to represent the air transport workers within Wizz Air in Ukraine began to be shaped by some of the Wizz Air branch crew members in this country in the spring of 2020. Amongst them, Artem and Yuliia.
The rise and the foreseen fall of a Hungarian low-cost carrier trying to build its own European Air Empire/Part I
When life outshines any movie that has ever been made!
A story with Romanian and Ukrainian flavours
For 2022, ETF’s main priority in the maritime sector is to have the fundamental social rights of waterborne transport workers recognized, respected and implemented at the EU level
From the ongoing challenge of seafarers, crew members and fishers sometimes being denied emergency medical treatment by port states to the global scandal that is the crew change crisis, waterborne transport workers need proper recognition and a sustainable future.
We stand by our Italian affiliates in their fight to stop the dismissal of over 1,400 workers from the Air Italy
The Italian authorities have to find an integrative solution to the Air Italy crisis, putting the workers’ wellbeing at the core of the negotiations.
A brother in need can always count on our solidarity!
It is utterly unacceptable for Brussels Airlines to use such a dirty attack against its own workers. There seems to be no limit in the company’s threats to put the cost of a strike they are legally entitled to organise on the worker’s shoulders
When you’re haunted by the voices you want to silence
Spreading fear may generate some complete obedience for some time. But it will not be forever. The voices of those you are trying to silence will be heard again.
SAS pilots are not disposable
The European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF) stands in solidarity with SAS pilots and their unions and condemns actions being taken by SAS that worsen income and working condition for workers