On the day of the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union, we pledge our support to our brothers and sisters in the UK. We will continue to work cooperatively and in solidarity with all our affiliates, inside or outside the EU, to defend fair transport throughout Europe.

The ETF welcomes the green light of the Italian Government for the ratification of the ILO Convention 188 “Work in fishing”. The ETF, together with ITF, will continue to ask as many countries as possible to ratify the Convention 188 and properly implement it. The Convention is a fundamental international instrument to protect fishers' working conditions and rights.

UITP and ETF renewed their Joint Recommendations on “Combating Violence and Insecurity on Urban Public Transport” and commit to their dissemination, awareness-raising through workshops and conferences, and monitoring their implementation at the level of national social partners across Europe. Feeling safe at your place of work or during your commute is a right, not a privilege!

The TRAN Committee of the European Parliament voted in favour of the trilogue result reached on 12 December. The Mobility Package is on its way to being adopted, the next steps are to be confirmed. In the meantime, ETF will continue to endeavour assiduously to close legal gaps, and offer our members and professional drivers across Europe real solutions.

Representatives of civil aviation workers from around Europe discuss the current issues workers are facing and how European trade union cooperation can help in addressing them.

Welcome to the first SkillSea Update! As from now on SkillSea will share a regular update about the progress and (first) deliverables of this four-year project, co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of

Obtaining a valid visa to go on shore, is an important aspect of seafarers’ wellbeing. Shore leave is a right for every seafarer and after spending many nights onboard it is paramount for maintaining good health. When ships are in ports, seafarers should, therefore, be able to easily leave the ship regardless of their nationality. Existing procedures within the EU however often impede on time granting of visas to seafarers. This has a major impact on their mental health and wellbeing. ETF, therefore, calls on EU Member States to ensure the implementation of the Code is adequately applied to seafarers.

On 14 January, the European Commission launched First phase consultation of Social Partners on a possible action addressing the challenges related to fair minimum wages. While the ETF strongly believes that workers of Europe need a pay rise, we don’t support simplistic approaches and half-baked solutions that could endanger the autonomy of social partners around the continent. A simple prescriptive mechanism cannot solve wage stagnation – instead, we need to address the core causes of it, such as precarious work, anti-union measures, digitalisation, and austerity.

On 8 January, dockers, shop stewards, trade unions and legal advisors from ten different countries gathered in Rotterdam and pledged to take action to ensure that the new Dockers’ Clause is correctly implemented. The attendees of the gathering formed an international team of legal advisors to prepare for action against shipping companies that do not comply with the Dockers’ Clause.

On 17 December a decree has been signed by the French prime minister Édouard Philippe, temporarily changing the rules on the maximum allowed driving time of coach drivers. This move by the government comes amid the transport workers’ strike in France. The ETF believes that the temporary decree is aimed at undermining the workers’ actions. Additionally, the decree puts the safety of passengers in danger, since longer driving times increase the risk of accidents.

On behalf of the European Transport Workers’ Federation, representing more than 5 million transport workers, we want to express our solidarity with the railway employees of Belgium and their legitimate and justified strike.

The work of the ETF has always been about decent work, decent life, and justice. All of these themes are central to today’s International Migrants Day, the day that combines the aspirations of migrants – people searching for a decent life, decent work, and struggling for justice.