ETF welcomes the Dutch government's decision to award new ground handling concessions at Schiphol Airport to only three operators. By reducing the number of competing providers, Dutch authorities have chosen a model that prioritises operational stability, service quality and decent employment over relentless price competition. Unfortunately, the government failed to lay down agreements regarding self-handling, which would have made the reform even more positive.

More than 70% of the seafood consumed in the EU is imported, while the European fishing sector is struggling to attract the next generation of workers. Addressing that challenge was at the heart of yesterday's second Steering Committee meeting of the joint ETF-Europeche project Pillars of the Sea 4 in Rome.

The leadership of the ETF Civil Aviation Section and the Secretariat recently met with the Executive Director of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Florian Guillermet and his senior management team for the annual high-level meeting to discuss the key aviation safety challenges affecting transport workers across Europe.

With its latest proposal, the European Union has been making efforts to ease burdens on businesses to innovate, grow and operate across borders. This includes simplifying administrative processes. The ETF is not against simplifying cross-border business and supports the ambition to support genuine start-ups and innovative companies to strengthen Europe's competitiveness. But simplification becomes an issue when it comes at the expense of accountability, workers' rights and effective enforcement.

On 16 June, ETF railway affiliates visited the Train Testing Lab in Berlin at the invitation of FP5-FDFTO to learn more about the development and deployment of the Digital Automatic Coupler (DAC). During the visit, participants observed live demonstrations of DAC testing and received updates on preparations for its installation on pioneer trains and the wider rollout of the technology across the rail freight sector.

From 1 July 2026, light good vehicles (LGVs) used for international transport in the EU must be equipped with a smart tachograph. These requirements are part of the Mobility Package 1, adopted in 2020, and introduce new obligations for both employers and drivers. Below is an overview of what the new rules mean for you as a driver.

The second workshop of the EU co-funded Empowering Transport Workers in Central and Eastern Europe (UNIONDRIVE) project took place on 24 June 2026 in Warsaw under the title "Up in the Air – The Reality of Working in Civil Aviation in the 21st Century". Co-hosted by the Transport Secretariat of NSZZ Solidarność, the event brought together trade union representatives, labour authorities and aviation experts to discuss some of the most pressing challenges facing aviation workers today.

The ETF has expressed concern over the absence of social and employment considerations in a new European initiative aimed at accelerating the deployment of autonomous vehicles (AVs). On 8 June, 18 EU Member States and the European Commission signed a Joint Declaration of Intent on large-scale cross-border testbeds for autonomous vehicles.

The recent announcement of collective layoffs at UPS has sparked widespread outrage. The logistics company plans on eliminating over half of the Belgian workforce to increasingly rely on subcontracted labour. For trade unions, this restructuring goes far beyond standard reorganisation. It is part of a deliberate strategy of social dumping.

The European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF) welcomes the recognition that Military Mobility is a workers’ issue, but warns that the failure to protect the right to strike and the introduction of disproportionate derogations pose serious risks for workers and for the credibility of the EU’s approach.

This is the 2nd survey on “Violence and harassment against women transport workers” conducted by the ETF and the results are a clear call to action. The findings confirm what has already been reported by individual women transport workers and trade union members: violence and harassment have increased after the Covid-19 pandemic

To mark the longest day of the year, 21 June, the European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF) is shining a light on a crisis that never ends: driver fatigue. On 21 June, ETF and its affiliates will organise coordinated actions across Europe to raise awareness of fatigue in road freight and passenger transport, and to call for better working conditions for all professional drivers.