On 30 September 2025, ETF joined the 11th Meeting of the European Commission’s Expert Group on Social Issues in Inland Navigation. Inland navigation may be smaller in size compared to other transport modes, but it carries great potential for the modal shift and for building a climate-friendly transport system. None of this, however, will be possible without the people who keep the sector running.

A pilot’s or cabin crew member’s employment contract should not be a safety risk - but too often, it still is. A new EU study warns that precarious working conditions in the sector are eroding both staff well-being and airline safety culture. Ten years after Ghent University’s groundbreaking 2015 research revealed the rise of “atypical” pilot contracts..

Transport workers' unions across Europe are launching a week of coordinated actions from 2-9 October to shine a spotlight on exploitation in the logistics sector and demand stronger regulation of subcontracting and labour intermediation. We will see trade unions in Spain, Sweden, France, Italy, Denmark, Germany, Turkey and other countries mobilising to meet workers, raise awareness, and push for legislative change at both national and European levels.

Lufthansa has announced job cuts and the outsourcing of ground operations, putting upwards of 4,000 jobs on the line. The ETF stands in solidarity with ver.di and the employees at Lufthansa as they face job losses and an uncertain future. Lufthansa’s move to cut jobs and outsource operations underscores the need for a comprehensive European aviation strategy that safeguards affordable and sustainable connectivity, fair competition, and quality jobs.

Today, the Dutch Court of Appeal ruled that preliminary questions will be brought before the European Union (EU) Court of Justice on the Non-Seafarers’ Work Clause (NSWC). The EU Court of Justice will be requested to shed light on whether the NSWC forms a breach on the freedom of free competition and, if so, whether the NSWC is justified considering the fundamental freedom of collective bargaining. As a result, at this moment, the initial positive ruling of the Rotterdam Court confirming the validity of the NSWC still stands.

The European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF) released today the first results of its new survey on violence and harassment against women in the transport sector. The findings reveal an alarming reality: nearly three out of four women transport workers (74%) reported having experienced violence or harassment in their current workplace.

Today, the ETF sent a letter to Commissioner Kadis on the functioning of Advisory Councils, expressing our concern with recent proposals that seek a fundamental reform of the Advisory Councils' (AC) structure, risking to undermine ACs and the essential role played by the fishing sector.

Fisheries are inherently global in nature. The European Union, with its expansive waters, sizeable fleet, and influential seafood market, plays a central role in shaping how this sector operates worldwide. Beyond conserving fish stocks and managing access to resources, the EU has the opportunity - and indeed the responsibility - to influence how social, economic, and environmental sustainability intertwine in global fisheries.

Following a meeting with the Palestinian Ambassador to the EU in Brussels, ETF and the European Trade Union Federations reiterated their call for decisive EU action on Gaza. We urge the EU to enforce trade sanctions, end economic relations with illegal settlements, and ensure that workers who refuse to handle weapons consignments are not criminalised.

Coming together in Rome, ETF affiliates from across Europe will today share experiences from their respective countries and launch a united call addressed to governments, employers and manufacturers that every bus driver has the right to a safe working environment.

Following an ETF initiative, a large group of European social partners in Civil Aviation has just issued a joint statement calling for the generalised ratification and implementation of the Montreal Protocol 2014 (MP14) in Europe. This is a strong message by the representatives of aviation workers and employers that must be heard by all EU member states and EU institutions.

The European Transport Workers’ Federation expresses its total solidarity with French affiliates striking today (September 18th) against the French government’s proposed austerity budget. Once again, working people are being forced to pay the price of the government’s own mismanagement. The removal of two days of public holidays, more cuts to public services, freezing of social benefits and public sector pay, among many other questionable measures, will hurt the well-being of French workers and will not lead to lower debt.