The European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF) regrets and denounces the obstructive behaviour of railway employers in the ongoing discussions on time monitoring within the Sectoral Social Dialogue. Particularly the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies’ (CER) last-minute intervention to block the participation of the European Union Agency for Railways (ERA) in the Sectoral Social Dialogue meeting on 23 June 2025, constitutes a serious breach of the mutual trust and respect required for meaningful social dialogue.
The monitoring of working, driving and rest time of mobile railway staff is a crucial issue for protecting workers from exploitative practices ensuring safety for both workers and rail users. Labour shortages in rail are increasingly acute, exacerbated by deteriorating working conditions and pay. In addition, there are more and more situations whereby railway workers work in parallel for several employers. The current systems for worktime monitoring leave gaps that enable companies to compete on the exploitation of workers and lead to dangerous situations with fatigued drivers working excessively long hours. Addressing the gaps in the current monitoring systems is essential to achieving fair, safe, and sustainable rail operations in Europe.
ERA has been mandated by the European Commission to work on this issue. ETF has therefore been unequivocal since February 2025: ERA must be involved in any further discussion on time monitoring. We have consistently and transparently communicated this position to both ERA and CER, both verbal and in writing. During the Sectoral Social Dialogue meeting on 5 February 2025, ETF Railways Chair Giorgio Tuti made it clear that if no agreement was found during a one-day workshop between the social partners, ERA would be informed and invited to all future discussions on this topic. This was repeated by him at the end of said social partner workshop on 27 March 2025. During the ERA working party on TSIs, where ETF and CER were both represented, ETF Senior Policy Officer for Railways, Jedde Hollewijn, reconfirmed ETF’s commitment to including ERA in all future discussion on this matter, starting with the Sectoral Social Dialogue meeting on 23 June 2025.
Despite this clarity, CER chose to pressure ERA into withdrawing from the meeting taking place on 23 June 2025. This action is not only contrary to what had been previously agreed among the parties, it also signals CER’s unwillingness to engage in an open, solutions-oriented process that involves all relevant parties. That ERA yielded to this pressure raises additional concerns about the balance of influence and the transparency of the process.
ETF had hoped that the Sectoral Social Dialogue could provide a productive space to jointly advance work on time monitoring. However, the employers’ actions make it clear that they have no genuine interest in working toward a solution that addresses the shortcomings in the current system. By sidelining ERA and compromising the integrity of the process, CER has demonstrated a lack of commitment to achieving real progress on this fundamental issue.
Under these circumstances, ETF cannot in good faith continue discussions as planned. We thus call on CER to respect the social partnership that we have built over many years, and to commit itself to inclusive, transparent, and balanced dialogue, with ERA’s full and unimpeded participation. Until then, ETF finds itself forced to stop its engagement on this topic in the Sectoral Social Dialogue. In the meantime, ETF remains ready to support ERA in fulfilling its mandate with the participation of all relevant actors.