Friday, 20 September, marks the start of the Global Action Week for Climate. Millions of students, workers and ordinary citizens will take part in demonstrations to demand implementation of the Paris Agreement.
As transport workers we are perfectly aware that the transport sector in its current shape is not sustainable, neither from the climate nor from the social perspective. It is a race to the bottom: low-cost business models encourage excessive transport and social dumping. This is why the ETF President, Frank Moreels, is responding on behalf of million transport workers to the call to join Global Climate Action week:
We also shared the ETF position on climate and socially sustainable transport to the Council to the European Union. Our open letter to the representatives of the Member States presents the vision for the future of the sector that we want: public transport, fair pricing that internalises all costs, and robust investment in green and integrated infrastructure. And transport workers must be taken into account when designing new policies, because only just transition will ensure that no worker is left behind.
Climate strikes were started by school children, as they will have to live with the consequences of the climate crisis. It is true also for young workers. This is why the representatives of the ETF Youth and ETF Women Committees during their join meeting also called today for more action.
And we took to the streets – The ETF Secretariat together with the ETF President joined the climate march in Brussels!