In a significant ruling for transport workers, the European Court of Justice has sided with Denmark in upholding restrictions on foreign bus operators conducting cabotage services within Danish borders. The decision, which dismisses the European Commission's challenge to Denmark's 2019 regulations, represents a major victory in the ongoing battle against social dumping in the transport sector.

Earlier this week, ETF and aviation workers across Europe were surprised by the new airlines' call for EU reforms for a competitive aviation sector, issued by the lobbying organisation Airlines for Europe (A4E). Although workers certainly agree with the need to boost the economic performance of European carriers, we believe that this statement misses that intent almost entirely.

A week of strike action by 700 FNV dockworkers brought major Dutch port to standstill –strike action set to resume on Friday without progress. The biggest ever strike of lashers in the Netherlands is on hold for a week after concerted industrial action by the FNV Havens dockworkers brought the largest and busiest port in Europe to a standstill.

The European Transport Workers' Federation (ETF) concluded its EU co-funded "Delivering Fair Transport for All" logistics project with a powerful workshop in Istanbul, Turkey, as part of its Logistics Action Days campaign. The event brought together 80 trade unionists, workers' representatives, and academic experts from across 10 countries to address the mounting pressures facing the logistics sector.

The message from the event was loud and clear: bus and coach drivers deserve the same level of safety as truck drivers when it comes to vehicle construction.

The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and the European sectoral federations EFBWW, EFFAT and ETF, are calling for an EU Directive on subcontracting and labour intermediation to end these abuses and restore accountability in European labour markets, to be proposed as part of the EU Commission’s Quality Jobs Roadmap.

ITF calls for urgent investment in safe, secure and dignified rest areas as part of Safe Rates The Belgian Transport Workers’ Union (BTB-ABVV) has released the 11th edition of its Black Book on motorway parking areas in Belgium, once again sounding the alarm on unsafe, overcrowded and inadequate conditions for professional lorry, bus and coach drivers.

After welcoming the democratic consensus reached during the trilogue negotiations on the revision of the European Works Council (EWC) Directive in May 2025, the ETF now urges MEPs to support the revised text in the plenary vote scheduled for Thursday, 9 October. The political agreement represents a significant step forward in strengthening workers’ rights in multinational companies across Europe. It enhances legal clarity for all stakeholders and simplifies the existing text by clarifying key definitions. We cannot turn back at this final stretch.

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.