News October 17, 2025 Union leaders unlawfully dismissed in Serbia – European federations call on authorities to take immediate action Yesterday, the European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF) and the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) sent a joint letter to Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vučić and Prime Minister Đuro Macut, urging them to urgently intervene in the recent dismissal of two leaders of the Sindikat kontrole letenja (SKL) – the trade union representing air traffic controllers in Serbia.
News October 17, 2025 ETF-ELA Conference: Europe must modernise social security for transport workers The European Labour Authority (ELA) dedicated 2025 to workers’ social security and the ETF has been happy to contribute to it, most recently by organising a two-day conference with the agency. Bringing together 24 ETF affiliates from 14 countries, 12 national authorities, as well as lawyers, policy experts, and representatives from the European Commission, we collectively shed light on one of the most urgent issues facing Europe’s transport workforce: the lack of effective and fair social security coverage.
News October 16, 2025 Urgent letter from the European Trade Union Confederation and the European Transport Workers’ Federation Urgent letter from the European Trade Union Confederation and the European Transport Workers’ Federation: We are writing to you on behalf of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), representing 45 million workers from 94 national trade union confederations across 42 European countries, including Serbia, and 10 European Trade Union Federations, as well as of the European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF), the voice of 5 million workers in transport from over 150 trade unions in 38 European countries.
News October 16, 2025 EU Court backs Denmark’s cabotage restrictions in landmark social dumping case In a significant ruling for transport workers, the European Court of Justice has sided with Denmark in upholding restrictions on foreign bus operators conducting cabotage services within Danish borders. The decision, which dismisses the European Commission’s challenge to Denmark’s 2019 regulations, represents a major victory in the ongoing battle against social dumping in the transport sector.
News October 16, 2025 Airlines missing the point on competitiveness: is it deliberate shortsightedness? Earlier this week, ETF and aviation workers across Europe were surprised by the new airlines’ call for EU reforms for a competitive aviation sector, issued by the lobbying organisation Airlines for Europe (A4E). Although workers certainly agree with the need to boost the economic performance of European carriers, we believe that this statement misses that intent almost entirely.
News October 10, 2025 ETF Logistics Action Days: Istanbul Workshop Demands Action to Fix Broken Sector The European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF) concluded its EU co-funded “Delivering Fair Transport for All” logistics project with a powerful workshop in Istanbul, Turkey, as part of its Logistics Action Days campaign. The event brought together 80 trade unionists, workers’ representatives, and academic experts from across 10 countries to address the mounting pressures facing the logistics sector.
News October 7, 2025 BUS SAFETY FIRST: Key takeaways from the ETF bus collision safety event in Rome The message from the event was loud and clear: bus and coach drivers deserve the same level of safety as truck drivers when it comes to vehicle construction.
News October 7, 2025 “We work in the shadows”: Trade unions call for EU action to end exploitation in subcontracting chains and labour intermediaries The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) and the European sectoral federations EFBWW, EFFAT and ETF, are calling for an EU Directive on subcontracting and labour intermediation to end these abuses and restore accountability in European labour markets, to be proposed as part of the EU Commission’s Quality Jobs Roadmap.
Statement October 3, 2025 EWC Directive: MEPs must adopt its revision After welcoming the democratic consensus reached during the trilogue negotiations on the revision of the European Works Council (EWC) Directive in May 2025, the ETF now urges MEPs to support the revised text in the plenary vote scheduled for Thursday, 9 October. The political agreement represents a significant step forward in strengthening workers’ rights in multinational companies across Europe. It enhances legal clarity for all stakeholders and simplifies the existing text by clarifying key definitions. We cannot turn back at this final stretch.
News October 3, 2025 Proposed EU Crewing and E-tools: quick fixes at the expense of workers On 30 September 2025, ETF joined the 11th Meeting of the European Commission’s Expert Group on Social Issues in Inland Navigation. Inland navigation may be smaller in size compared to other transport modes, but it carries great potential for the modal shift and for building a climate-friendly transport system. None of this, however, will be possible without the people who keep the sector running.
News October 2, 2025 New EU study warns: precarious aircrew contracts pose safety risks A pilot’s or cabin crew member’s employment contract should not be a safety risk – but too often, it still is. A new EU study warns that precarious working conditions in the sector are eroding both staff well-being and airline safety culture. Ten years after Ghent University’s groundbreaking 2015 research revealed the rise of “atypical” pilot contracts..
Press Release October 1, 2025 ETF’s Logistics Action Days 2025 launch across Europe Transport workers’ unions across Europe are launching a week of coordinated actions from 2-9 October to shine a spotlight on exploitation in the logistics sector and demand stronger regulation of subcontracting and labour intermediation. We will see trade unions in Spain, Sweden, France, Italy, Denmark, Germany, Turkey and other countries mobilising to meet workers, raise awareness, and push for legislative change at both national and European levels.