On 20 September the European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF) sent an open letter to nominated Commissioner-designate for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, Apostolos Tzitzikostas. The ETF expresses concerns over the role’s focus on boosting competitiveness in the sector, rather than the wellbeing of transport workers, their families, and communities. Coupled with the lack of a Commissioner for Employment and Social Affairs, the low priority given to employment questions as part of the formation of the current Commission is extremely worrying for workers across Europe. Considering the fact that low pay and poor working conditions are driving workers away from the transport and creating huge labour shortages, the lack of quality jobs is a fundamental threat to the future of the sector. After all, without transport workers, there can be no transport.
Open letter to Apostolos Tzitzikostas
Statement
ON THE GROUND
News
Keeping a warming Europe moving: how hot temperatures affect transport workers and what can be done about it
As part of the European continent undergoes its fourth heatwave of 2026, it has become abundantly clear that occupational heat exposure is no longer an exceptional or occasional summer hazard. It is an emergent occupational hazard only destined to escalate. Europe is the second fastest-warming region of the globe after the Arctic. According to EU-OSHA 2025 numbers, one in five workers in the EU signaled exposure to extreme heat at work in the previous 12 months, a figure rising to one in three in some countries.
News
Unruly passengers: more than just summer headlines
Summer may be synonymous with relaxation for holidaymakers and every summer seems to produce its share of eye-catching headlines. Just days ago, The Guardian reported on a drunk British holidaymaker who tried to kiss a flight attendant on a plane and was arrested on his way back through Palma airport. A week earlier, headlines were dominated by reports of a flight from Dublin to Ibiza descending into what was described as "sex and booze chaos," leaving fellow passengers shocked.
News
UK public transport unions sound the alarm over lack of toilet access for drivers
Public transport unions in the United Kingdom are raising urgent concerns about the lack of access to toilet facilities for bus and train drivers, a problem that has persisted for years but is now reaching a breaking point. Reports from across the UK show drivers being forced to work entire shifts without guaranteed access to a toilet, leaving them to rely on improvised or unsafe alternatives, including urinating in bottles in their driving cab. Some unions are now considering industrial action to force employers and authorities to act.