News

News November 6, 2019

Landing obligation has led to increased workload for fishers

The EU Social Partners in Sea Fisheries ETF and Europêche adopted a joint resolution on the socio-economic impact of the EU landing obligation on the fishing industry. They agreed to call on the European Commission to revise the EU landing obligation so that it is consistent with other legal instruments adopted by the EU, in particular, Directive 2017/159 and the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU.

News November 6, 2019

Celebrating 20 Years of Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee & looking forward

Railway social partners and the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER) gathered with ETF for the annual plenary meeting of the Rail Sectoral Social Dialogue. Social partners negotiated their joint work programme for the next two years and agreed to focus on women’s employment and equal opportunities in the railway sector, ensuring railway safety in an open and competitive market, working and resting time rules, and employability in the light of digitalisation and automation.

News October 24, 2019

Thomas Cook collapse: workers need justice!

Thomas Cook may have collapsed in the UK, but it’s a European story. Companies, travel agencies, and hotels all over Europe and beyond have been affected, and around 22.000 workers are suffering from the consequences. The ETF stands in solidarity with all Thomas Cook workers and we continue to defend their interests together with our affiliates.

News October 23, 2019

Safety first! “Guards must be kept on board trains!”, declare ETF’s expert groups

The Locomotive Drivers’ Advisory Group and the On-Board Personnel Advisory Group, meeting in Brussels on 21-22 October, expressed their solidarity with French railway workers following an accident that occurred on October 16 between Mohon and Poix-Terron in Eastern France which involved a driver-only operation (DOO) train. DOOs are dangerous for both the train driver and the passengers: guards must be kept on board trains!

News October 16, 2019

Rail social partners start negotiations on agreement to promote women’s employment

Women account for less than 20% of the railway workforce, a figure that is alarmingly below the 46% participation rate of women in the labour market. Railway companies and trade unions are convinced that the situation needs to change in order to avoid missing out on the valuable contribution of women, to promote diversity at the workplace, and eventually harmonise the railway sector’s image with the reality of the society in which rail customers live.

Statement October 15, 2019

The European Labour Authority will be launched tomorrow and the ETF is fully on board

Tomorrow, October 16, 2019, the European Labour Authority will start its activities by holding its first Management Board meeting in Brussels, in the presence of Jean-Claude Juncker, European Commission President; Valdis Dombrovskis, Executive Vice President-Designate of the European Commission, and Marianne Thyssen, Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Labour Mobility. The European Transport Workers’ Federation will represent the European trade union federations on the ELA Management Board.

News October 11, 2019

Vehicle activity in the ‘home’ country – the real problem

One of the gemstones of the European Parliament agreement on the Mobility Package is this: all heavy goods vehicles shall perform at least one loading or one unloading of goods every four weeks in the Member States of establishment. This is so effective in combating letter-box companies, it has recently become subject to attacks as the Mobility Package enters now the critical stage of Institutional negotiations. So, what’s the real problem?