Keeping a warming Europe moving: how hot temperatures affect transport workers and what can be done about it As part of the European continent undergoes its fourth heatwave of 2026, it has become abundantly clear that occupational heat exposure is no longer an exceptional or occasional summer hazard. It is an emergent occupational hazard only destined to escalate. Europe is the second fastest-warming region of the globe after the Arctic. According to EU-OSHA 2025 numbers, one in five workers in the EU signaled exposure to extreme heat at work in the previous 12 months, a figure rising to one in three in some countries. News 6 Aug 2026
ETF points out contradictions in EC’s Greening Transport Package The advances that could come from the Greening Transport Package, presented by the European Commission, are shadowed by a striking incoherence that the ETF must point out. The facilitation of cross-border operations of “gigaliners”, the 44-tonne longer and heavier vehicles with European Modular Systems running on fossil fuels, will be an obstacle to reach a clean and just transition to a carbon-neutral freight industry. Press Release 12 Jul 2023
Social partner project on employability in rail confirms workers must take centre stage in digital transition The ETF and CER EU social partner report: Employability in the Rail Sector in Light of Digitalisation and Automation explores how to maintain employability in the face of the digital transition, with the human factor taking centre stage. News 19 Sep 2022
For 2022, ETF’s main priority in the maritime sector is to have the fundamental social rights of waterborne transport workers recognized, respected and implemented at the EU level From the ongoing challenge of seafarers, crew members and fishers sometimes being denied emergency medical treatment by port states to the global scandal that is the crew change crisis, waterborne transport workers need proper recognition and a sustainable future. News 14 Jan 2022
COP26 Transport Day: ETF calls for just transition and socially sustainable transport The ETF calls on the European Commission and world leaders at COP 26 to commit and strengthen just transition for transport workers and mandatory due diligence in the supply chain. Statement 10 Nov 2021
To bring about just transition, aviation industry must focus on people, not profits In April, the ETF held a series of internal discussions on sustainable aviation, with guests ranging from employers’ groups to environmental NGOs. Some clear-cut themes emerged from the lively debate, building a foundation for the ETF’s future work on the topic. News 7 May 2021
Navigating our way to a sustainable future ETF IWT section issues a position on Inland Waterways Transport’s role in the green transition, emphasising the need for significant investments to make the sector environmentally and socially sustainable. Publication 15 Jan 2021
World Maritime Day: Sustainable working environments are essential for a sustainable maritime future ETF Maritime team issues an open letter on World Maritime Day, calling on the EU to be the leading force in working towards true sustainability, in promoting high social and environmental standards, and reaching the Sustainable Development Goals. News 23 Sep 2020