We were shocked and saddened to learn of the terrible train accident of March 18, 2020, near the Strasbourg train station in which a railway track maintainer lost his life and a second track maintainer was seriously injured. Solidarité à nos affiliés français et à tous les cheminots dans ce moment difficile.

In the wake of the informal meeting of the Council of Transport Ministers, the ETF has once again sent a letter to Commissioner Vălean. The ETF waited for the outcome of this meeting, in hopes that concrete measures to protect our transport workers would emerge from it. What emerged was the exact opposite, and we are extremely disappointed in the Council’s (un)willingness to tackle this safety emergency that poses a threat, which grows by the minute, for transport workers.

In view of the ongoing crisis and its effect on drivers in the road transport industry, and the lack of response to their dire situation in the communication of yesterday’s Council of Transport Ministers meeting, the ETF has addressed a statement to the Commissioner for Transport, Adina-Ioana Vălean in which the ETF urges the European Commission and the Member States to adopt an emergency action plan for truck drivers, before our drivers fall subject to a humanitarian and health crisis in Europe.