News June 20, 2019 Svitzer workers go on strike in The Netherlands for the 9th time! Workers at the Dutch tug company continue their fight to get their overtime paid. Instead of working for free, they decided to do voluntary work in a different way: they got elderly people from a retirement home on board of boats and gave them a tour of the port!
News June 18, 2019 ETF supports train guards in the UK in their strike action to defend jobs and safety Our affiliate union RMT is calling on workers at the UK’s South Western Railway to begin a five-day strike today. The employer provoked this action by reneging on an earlier promise to guarantee the continued presence of on-board staff, who are vital for passengers’ safety and security.
News June 14, 2019 Landmark ruling in favour of Ryanair crew A Belgian court has ruled that Ryanair cabin crew are subject to national labour law. This decision will have wide-ranging consequences for European aviation, and marks a real victory in our campaign against social dumping in Europe’s skies.
News June 14, 2019 ETF supports the women’s strike today in Switzerland! More pay! More time! More respect! That’s the demand from hundreds of thousands of women in Switzerland, who are still denied their constitutional right to equal pay while facing higher levels of unemployment and gender-based violence.
Worker's Story June 12, 2019 A tug worker sends an SOS call about social dumping A tug captain from Antwerp has issued an SOS call, asking for action against social dumping in the sector. His story highlights a specific case of unfair competition in Belgium, but it is a story that will echo with tug captains across Europe. The ETF is building a network of tug captains, and we will stand with them in their struggle to defend decent pay and conditions in this vital profession.
Statement June 5, 2019 ETF Acting General Secretary expresses her support for an ILO Convention on violence & harassment in the world of work Women workers face terrible violence and harrassment – and transport workers are some of the most affected. Today we asked the European Commission and the Romanian EU Presidency to push for an ILO Convention on violence and harassment in the world of work at the centenary ILO Conference next week in Geneva.
News June 5, 2019 Does the recent river cruise accident in Budapest point to structural problems with safety? We offer our sincere condolences to the families of the victims who drowned on the Danube. There is still little clear information, but this is already the 4th accident of the year and the 2019 season is only just getting started. Although we agree that captains carry responsibility for the safety of their passengers and others on the water, we question the tendency to criminalise maritime workers after accidents
News June 4, 2019 French railway workers are back on the streets to protest against Macron’s risky reforms Four French trade unions organising railway workers have called for a national demonstration in Paris today, as the Macron government pushes ahead with reforms that are bad for passengers and staff. Solidarité à nos collègues!
News June 4, 2019 Happy Birthday SEV! Our Swiss affiliate celebrates 100 years Our Deputy General Secretary, Sabine Trier, was in Bern to join the Congress of SEV – the Swiss Transport Workers Union. She brought congratulations for SEV’s 100th anniversary, and stressed the need for international solidarity between workers and their unions.
News June 3, 2019 Our analysis of the European Parliament elections 2019 Voters did not deliver the feared right-wing tsunami…but the new European Parliament is more liberal and green, with a larger nationalist and xenophobic component. We look at the results and see what they will mean for coalition building and our lobbying.
News May 28, 2019 ETF supports Dutch transport workers in strike for fair pensions Dutch workers are fighting for the right to enjoy their pension in good time, and without financial worries. As transport workers stand united, there will be no bus, train, tram or metro driving that day in the Netherlands.
News May 27, 2019 Mixed results in European Parliament elections: Workers urgently need a progressive alliance Worker-friendly parties have not suffered the disaster that was predicted, but the new European Parliament will require brave and creative coalitions. Now the EU must deliver a concrete and progressive response to voters’ social concerns. That is the only way to see off the populists and the far-right.