climate change

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

On World Youth Skills Day 2020, the ETF highlights the need for quality training, skills, room for professional development to attract young workers to the transport sector, but above all emphasises the need for decent working conditions!