Our focus

At the International Railway Safety Conference (IRSC) 2026 in Lisbon, ETF Technical Coordinator and locomotive driver Marco Hörtenhuber-Stuhl presented the European Transport Workers' Federation's vision for monitoring working, driving and rest time as a core railway safety tool. His presentation,"Monitoring Working Time as a Railway Safety Tool: From Compliance to Proactive Risk Management", argued that effective monitoring is not merely an administrative or labour-law requirement, but an essential component of modern railway safety management.

The ETF strongly condemns the continued attacks on merchant vessels and maritime infrastructure, as well as the recent Russian attacks on Ukrainian ports and calls on EU leaders, the European Commission, Member States, and all relevant national and international authorities to act immediately to protect civilian maritime workers and restore safe navigation in the Black Sea.

On October 6th and 7th public transport unions from across Central and Eastern Europe met in Poznan for the final regional workshop of the Trade Unions for Better Public Transport project (TU4BPT). Hosted by Polish affiliate OZZKiM, the workshop delivered the final round of training for trade union representatives regarding the Twin Transition in public transport.

On 18 September, the Panhellenic Seamen’s Federation (PNO) and the Federation of Transport, Petroleum and Agriculture Workers (OMEPEGE/FTPAW-SEK) brought trade unions, governments, international institutions and shipowners together in Athens to take stock of two decades of the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) – and, more importantly, to discuss what still needs to change.

The Urban Public Transport Committee’s project on autonomous vehicles in public transport continued last week, with workshops taking place in Slovakia, hosted by OZ KOVO, and the UK, hosted by Unite the Union. Both workshops brought together union reps from across the respective countries to discuss and strategise on the topic of autonomous vehicles.

The European Transport Workers’ Federation is standing firmly with Italian Trade Unions as they warn that Italy’s Intercity train network is being put at risk. The ETF Railways Steering Committee has made clear that recent legislative changes threaten to fragment a vital national service, weaken territorial cohesion and undermine the rights and working conditions of the workers who keep the network running.