ETF Uudised juuli – september
Maritime transport
August
- Passenger ship tragedy off Cyprus: Safety at sea must always come first
A passenger ship accident off the north coast of Cyprus triggered an ongoing search and rescue operation involving seafarers, coastguard crews and emergency responders. ETF paid tribute to them and welcomed the readiness of Cyprus’s Joint Rescue Coordination Centre to assist, stressing that saving lives must come before all other considerations. ETF called for a thorough and transparent investigation, with all circumstances established before conclusions are drawn. For ETF, safety at sea must always come first: safe maritime transport depends on safe vessels, effective enforcement and properly trained, adequately staffed and protected crews.
🔗 Read more here
September
- Maritime Labour Convention 20: A minimum standard, not the finish line
ETF took part in an international symposium, organised by its Greek and Cypriot affiliates, marking 20 years of the Maritime Labour Convention. General Secretary Livia Spera stressed that the Convention improved seafarers’ rights, but remains a minimum standard undermined by uneven enforcement. A new ETF–ITF study found rules still allow 91-hour working weeks, while seafarers averaged almost 75. ETF called for stronger training of Port State Control inspectors and pushed for a European Maritime Space for Socially Sustainable Shipping.
- Maritime unions meet in Brussels: Solidarity with Polish seafarers and key priorities ahead
On 22-23 September, ETF maritime unions met in Brussels for the Maritime Transport Section, the MT EU Committee and the Maritime Transport Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee. They showed solidarity with their Polish affiliates and raised serious concerns about proposed amendments to Poland’s Act on Work at Sea, which could affect seafarers’ rights, equal treatment, maritime safety and the implementation of the Maritime Labour Convention. They also discussed with DG HOME the problems seafarers face with the EU Entry/Exit System, and looked at the situation in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz and what it means for seafarers. The meetings also covered the work programme of the ETF-ECSA social dialogue committee and preparations for the ETF Congress 2027.
- Civil shipping and total defence: No resilience without seafarers
ETF’s Nikolaos Koletsis joined a conference on “The Role of Civil Shipping in Total Defence”, organised by LO Norge and ETF affiliates Norsk Sjømannsforbund and Norsk Sjøoffisersforbund. He delivered a clear message: Europe cannot secure its supply chains, guarantee energy autonomy or credibly plan for military mobility without seafarers, and without knowing who will operate its ships in a crisis. He warned that the decline in EU nationally qualified seafarers and EU-flagged vessels could undermine strategic military logistics and supply-chain reliability in emergencies, and called for European seafarers to be placed at the core of the EU’s maritime security strategy. For ETF, tackling the recruitment and retention crisis is urgent: recruitment starts with attractive careers, and retention depends on decent, sustainable working conditions.
Dockers
- Working Together. Much Safer: Training for safer ports kicks off in Rotterdam
ETF launched the first training session of the EU-funded project “Working Together. Much Safer” in Rotterdam, bringing together dock workers and trade union representatives from ports across Europe. Participants shared experiences, discussed common challenges and explored ways to make ports safer places to work. ETF stressed that safety is a shared responsibility that needs the commitment of workers, unions, employers and all other stakeholders. The project is a first step towards building stronger safety skills, fostering social dialogue and setting up the European Network for Safety in Ports.
- Non-Seafarers’ Work Clause: ETUC joins the fight for collective bargaining
The Court of Appeal of The Hague has granted the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) permission to join appeal proceedings on the validity of the Non-Seafarers’ Work Clause, a safety provision in ITF agreements which prevents ships’ crews from doing cargo handling, such as lashing and unlashing, in ports where trained dock workers are available. The ETUC’s intervention backs the ITF’s position that seafarers are put at risk when made to take on this extra work. ETF General Secretary Livia Spera said the case goes to the heart of protecting collective rights in Europe, as workers must be able to organise, bargain collectively and defend agreed standards. The Court has indicated it intends to refer preliminary questions to the Court of Justice of the EU before the national proceedings continue.
- EU Ports Strategy: Competitive ports need people
ETF General Secretary Livia Spera joined policymakers, industry and social partners at the European Parliament for a debate on the EU Ports Strategy, co-hosted by MEP Matteo Ricci and FEPORT. ETF’s message was clear: people are infrastructure too. Ports cannot compete by cutting costs or standards alone, and the current design of the ETS risks diverting shipping, emissions, investment and jobs to non-EU ports rather than delivering a genuine transition. ETF stressed that security cannot be separated from the workforce, with port workers’ knowledge essential to preventing illicit activity. For ETF, a good Ports Strategy rests on three pillars: economic resilience (infrastructure and investment), environmental resilience (decarbonisation that protects jobs) and social resilience (a skilled, stable workforce with strong collective bargaining), and all three must go together.
Fisheries
- Fishing sector: ETF and Europêche call for fuel aid to be extended
Following discussions between trade unions, employers and authorities at national level on high fuel prices and their impact on fisheries, EU social partners ETF and Europêche sent a letter to Commissioner Kadis and relevant EU institutions asking to extend fuel aid. Fuel is one of the largest operational costs in fishing, and with prices at historic highs, many companies are reducing or cancelling trips, or leaving vessels tied up in port. Because fishers are paid through the share-catch system, rising fuel costs are deducted directly from vessel revenue, cutting crew members’ take-home pay and threatening jobs and coastal communities. With the Middle East Crisis Temporary State Aid Framework set to expire on 31 December 2026, ETF and Europêche called on the Commission to extend it, apply support per vessel rather than per company, and provide additional EU funding.
- Common Fisheries Policy: We cannot talk about fisheries without talking about the people at sea
The European Parliament adopted a resolution on the evaluation of the Common Fisheries Policy. ETF welcomed the text, which calls for a review balancing environmental, economic and social sustainability. ETF highlighted its support for revising the fishing-capacity rules so that better cabins, toilets and safer decks no longer count against catching capacity, and for cutting red tape and ensuring a level playing field with imports from third countries. ETF will keep pushing for a CFP with a strong social dimension and fair conditions for fishers.
- EU-Mauritania fisheries protocol: Social partners call for timely renewal
ETF and Europêche, called on the European Commission to renew the EU-Mauritania Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement on time, as it expires on 14 November 2026. The protocol gives vessels from EU Member States access to Mauritanian waters, and without a renewal many of them could be forced to stop fishing, disrupting companies, crews and the wider supply chain. ETF warned that this would also cost jobs, as third-country fleets with much lower labour and environmental standards would fill the gap. If talks cannot conclude in time, the social partners asked for an immediate one-year extension and, if vessels still have to stop, for temporary cessation aid to be activated automatically for both companies and workers.
Urban public transport
August
- Heatwaves and no toilets: British transport unions sound the alarm
British ETF affiliates raised the alarm over the lack of access to toilets for bus and train drivers, a problem made even more dangerous by Europe’s heatwaves. Some unions are now considering industrial action to force employers to act. ETF stressed that this is not a mere inconvenience but a serious occupational health risk, with drivers drinking and eating less to avoid needing the toilet, which, combined with long shifts and poor cabin ventilation, is a recipe for severe dehydration. The solutions are clear: guaranteed access to clean and safe toilets, adequate breaks in schedules, heatwave-specific protections such as hydration policies and clear legal obligations for all operators.
🔗Read more here
September
- Autonomous vehicles in urban public transport: Workers want a seat at the table
On 7 September, union delegates and workers in urban public transport met in Dublin for a workshop on autonomous vehicles (AVs), organised by ETF affiliate SIPTU. It was the first in a series of meetings across Europe to help UPT workers and unions strategise on the introduction of AVs. Participants weighed up the risks, such as job losses, cybersecurity and passenger safety without a human driver, against the hope that AVs could improve services and upskill UPT professions towards better jobs. With the rules and business models for AVs being shaped right now, ETF insisted that UPT workers and their unions must be part of the discussion. The series is part of a project supported by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung’s Centre on the Future of Work.
🔗 Read more here
- Third-party violence in public transport: New research shows a sector under pressure
As European Mobility Week came to a close, ETF and its urban public transport (UPT) affiliates presented new research on third-party violence against workers by passengers and other members of the public. The report, commissioned by ITF, points to underreporting, understaffing that leaves many workers alone, and a lack of prevention measures such as risk assessments and de-escalation training. Women are particularly affected: an ETF survey found that 71% of female UPT workers had experienced violence or harassment in their current job, and only about half formally reported the latest incident. ETF called on governments to fund better staffing, recognise third-party violence as a psychosocial risk in the Quality Jobs Act and sanction perpetrators, and on employers to carry out risk assessments with unions and support victims.
🔗 Read more here
Women´s Commitee
- VIOLENCE IS NOT PART OF THE JOB !
In June 2026 ETF published the results of the 2nd survey on violence and harassment against women transport workers. The results are shocking and call for action. 71% of the women are reporting experiences with violence on a regular basis and two thirds (65,1 %) of the women transport workers have considered leaving the sector due to aggression and violence.
🔗 You find a 2-page INFOGRAPHIC with the key findings in English, French, German, Spanish, Italien, Bulgarien and Dutch, the full report and a summary of the findings here: Violence is not part of the job! | ETF Europe
- Putting violence and harassment against women transport workers on the agenda
ETF Deputy General Secretary Sabine Trier presented the main findings of ETF’s second survey on violence and harassment against women transport workers to the UITP Diversity Working Group, which brings together urban public transport companies worldwide. Its Chair confirmed that fighting violence, harassment and sexism must also be a priority for companies, and UITP Europe reconfirmed its commitment to engage with ETF in the European social dialogue for urban public transport.
On 18 June, Sabine presented the findings to the Federal Women’s Conference of our German affiliate EVG and on 25 June to the meeting of the Group of women representatives from vida, SEV, EVG and FNCTTFEL. They discussed how to prevent violence and harassment in the railway sector and how to strengthen women’s role in unions ahead of the ETF Congress 2027.
On 9 September ETF organised a webinar to present the outcome of the 2nd survey to a wider public. Keynote speakers were MEP Lena Schilling (Greens/Austria), Jane Pillinger, researcher and author of the report and ETF’s Women’s Committee Vice-Chair Silvana Francken-Belfi. We had two testimonials from the aviation and the urban public transport sector. With 120 registrations from trade unions, employers, companies and authorities the interest was very high.
And finally, on 22 September the findings of the survey were presented at a workshop of the UNI EUROPA project “I’m Pinc” that is tackling gender equality in the European commerce sector.