Across the Netherlands on Saturday, trams, buses, metros, and trains came to a standstill for a few minutes. This pause was not due to technical issues or scheduling conflicts; rather, a symbolic protest the rising tide of violence faced by transportation workers. It's a call to action by trade unions and companies to ensure a safer working condition. The national railways (NS) along with most public transport companies all stopped for three minutes on Saturday night at 10.30pm.

ETF, UITP and CER issued a joint statement, highlighting that achieving the EU's ambitious climate goals, particularly those related to transport emissions, hinges on significant investments in rail and urban public transport. The existing modal shift objectives established by the EU cannot be realistically achieved without a strong focus on these sectors.

Unions slam shipping giants for sustaining regime, including Maersk’s hollow claim of performing ‘heightened human rights due diligence’ Global shipping giants are putting commercial interests above human rights concerns by continuing to ship from Myanmar, say trade unionists from Myanmar and global union federations IndustriALL and the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF).

Europe’s road transport social partners, IRU and ETF, today signed and handed over their road transport social partners joint declaration on creating a European framework to improve the working conditions of third-country drivers employed by EU-based companies to EU Jobs and Social Rights Commissioner Nicolas Schmit.

In a roundtable discussion on the future of goods transport at the European Parliament, the perspectives of railway workers, various European industries and policymakers came together. The conversation, organized by MEP René Repasi in collaboration of ETF, centered around the challenges and opportunities the rail freight sector faces in Europe. The event saw a vibrant exchange of input and positions calling for consistency in policy making, as well as highlighting the importance of the rail freight sector.

ETF stands in solidarity with logistics workers and their unions in France following the national mobilisation that began on April 2 for the entire logistics sector. This national movement follows on from a local grassroots action at ID Logistics, an international contract logistics group based in France, with a revenue of €2,747 million (2023).

EFBWW, EFFAT, and ETF have joined forces to confront the common challenges of abusive subcontracting, unregulated labour intermediaries, and insufficient enforcement of existing workers' rights within their sectors. These issues underpin high levels of social dumping and labour crime, unequal treatment in the workplace, low wages, unrecorded working hours, disrespect for health and safety rules, and labour exploitation, especially towards migrant and mobile workers.

The European Transport Workers' Federation (ETF) is sounding the alarm over the potential inclusion of fishing fuels under the revised Energy Taxation Directive. The ETF, alongside other European organizations representing the entire fisheries sector value chain, has sent a joint letter to the European Parliament and national authorities urging them to exempt fishing from the Directive's scope.

The dispute over the national Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) of Italian dockworkers has led ETF affiliates Filt-Cgil, Fit-Cisl, and Uiltrasporti, to call for a national 24-hour strike between April 3rd and 5th, 2024, with the peak of the protests organized in Genoa through a national demonstration on April 5th.

As the Connecting Europe Days unfold, the European Transport Workers' Federation (ETF) stands with a resounding call for European policymakers to prioritize the future of rail transport on the continent. The railway sector has long been the backbone of European mobility, fostering economic growth, environmental sustainability, and social cohesion. However, without a cohesive and visionary strategy for its advancement, the potential of rail transport remains largely untapped.

Concrete measures must be implemented to deter those who exploit the internal market by establishing letter-box companies in countries with lower working conditions and protections while providing services in more economically prosperous countries. This includes discouraging those who flout posting rules or engage in fraudulent employment schemes, thereby perpetrating social security fraud and utilizing fraudulent employment practices.

While representing a significant breakthrough and the unblocking of a worrying political stalemate, the CSDDD was severely weakened under EU Member State lobbying – with the resulting Directive left far weaker than originally intended, covering far fewer companies and workers.