ETF NEWS UPDATE

What has the ETF been up to?

May Day | May 1st is a powerful reminder of workers’ ability to resist austerity and far-right anti-union movements.

• In different campaigns and highlights, ETF encouraged transport workers to vote in the upcoming EU Elections to ensure pro-worker policies.
• On May Day, transport workers across sectors urge the EU for effective implementation and enforcement of the mobility package. It calls for active transposition and enforcement of the Platform Directive in all member states.
• The ETF joined Gewerkschaft vida and ver.di members in Vienna, where thousands demanded a Fair and Social Europe.
• The story of Senegalese sailor Seydi Samba, who won a court case against his exploitative employer with union support, was shared to highlight the crucial role of TUs in protecting workers.

Planning meeting with ELA | The ETF met with the leadership of the European Labour Authority in Bratislava for an exchange on transport sectors.
EU Elections Social Media Campaign | In light of the EU elections, the ETF started a social media campaign at the beginning of May, targeted at not only sharing the manifesto but also urging people to vote. Therefore, posts on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn were published almost daily, highlighting the workers’ demands and needs.

• The emphasis was placed on the urgency of using one’s voice at the EU elections in light of the rise of the far-right, which often acted against workers’ interests once in power. Therefore, one of the main slogans of the campaign was “Don’t lose your rights!”.
• After an introductory post focused on the ETF’s manifesto, all six topics of said manifesto were highlighted separately to enhance the visibility of all of our demands.
• The following posts leading up to the EU elections included quotes from the manifesto and once again highlighted the importance of voting.

Joint statement on the revision of the EWC Directive | The European Commission had proposed a revision of the European Works Council (EWC) Directive, supported by the European Parliament. European employers’ organisations have expressed opposition, demonstrating a lack of understanding and support for evidence-based policymaking. As a response, a joint statement from EU Trade unions was issued and published, highlighting different current issues with EWC and other legislation.

• Employers’ organisations mistakenly claim the proposal would turn EWCs into co-decision-making bodies, but it only provides consultation rights.
• Current penalties for violating the directive are insufficient. Proposed penalties include fines and non-financial sanctions, such as injunctions, to ensure proper consultation.
• Proper EWC involvement in decision-making improves job security and competitiveness.
• The statement demands objective criteria for confidentiality, ensuring effective consultation and preventing management’s arbitrary use of confidentiality.
• Trade unions remain legitimate representatives of workers’ interests, essential for effective EWCs.
• The Council should ensure EWCs have enforceable rights and sufficient resources.
• The revision aims to strengthen EWCs, ensuring better representation and consultation for workers across Europe.

#8May  | On the 79th anniversary of the end of the Nazi regime, we urged action for the future of the EU. EU policies exacerbating worker exploitation and political alienation demand attention, emphasising the need for May 8th to become a Europe-wide public holiday, symbolising opposition to far-right authoritarianism while empowering workers.
ETF Affiliate Meeting in Italy  | Livia Spera, General Secretary of the ETF, met with the International Coordination Committee of Fit-Cisl Nazionale, and exchanged also with other affiliates at the General Council of Uiltrasporti Nazionale and at the General Assembly of Filt Cgil Nazionale, to discuss international solidarity.
Joint Statements on LGTBI+ Rights and Safety | The European Trade Union Federations and ETUC issued a joint statement in commemoration of the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) on May 17.

• The fundamental nature of LGBTI+ rights as human and trade union rights is emphasised, highlighting past progress while condemning recent setbacks due to right-wing and populist movements.
• The statement calls for protection and promotion of LGBTI+ rights in electoral campaigns, workplace safety measures, and the defence of these rights in EU external policies.
• Additionally, it stresses the importance of safeguarding transgender workers’ rights and combating workplace-related violence and harassment targeting LGBTI+ individuals.

Meeting with DG Move | The ETF met with Director General for Mobility and Transport Magda Kopczynska, as part of the regular exchange with the European Commission, to discuss the inclusion of transport in the EU’s industrial policy, and critical issues affecting the road, rail and maritime sectors.
Conference on Automation in Transport | On June 6^th, Livia Spera, ETF’s General Secretary, attended a conference on Automation in Transport organised by the BE Presidency of the European Union.

ETF Executive Committee | On June 4^th and 5^th, the ETF Executive Committee met in Brussels. The meeting included discussions with Magda Kopczynska (Director-General of DG MOVE at the Commission), Steve Cotton (General Secretary of the ITF) and Esther Lynch (General Secretary of the ETUC).  Reports from General Secretary Livia Spera and members of the ETF secretariat presented the success of the ETF in the past year in terms of securing agreements with employers’ organisations, affiliating new unions to the ETF, and concrete legislative wins. The Executive Committee also approved four resolutions:

•  A resolution on the far-right, emphasising these parties’ disdain for workers’ rights and calling for real solutions to the social issues driving support for these forces
• A resolution in support of the PKP Cargo Workers, who are facing job losses and wage cuts as part of an authoritarian restructuring of the firm
• A resolution on the Talent Pool, underlining the proposal’s threats to workers’ rights and calling for it to be withdrawn
• The resolution “Towards a Lasting Peace” on the current situation in Israel/Palestine.

Statement on the European Elections | Following the European Elections held from the 6^th to the 9^th of June, which saw a significant increase in support for far-right parties, the ETF released a statement calling for concrete actions to make the Just Transition a reality. So far, the price of the environmental transition has fallen largely on the shoulders of working people, with many feeling abandoned and attracted to far-right rhetoric. For this reason, the ETF calls on the next Commission and Parliament to include the following in their political agenda:

• An ambitious just transition plan focused on working people to ensure the creation of attractive jobs with fair pay and improved working conditions
• Enhanced and well-resourced public services that meet the needs of all citizens, namely in public transport, healthcare, and education
• A European industrial policy that recognises the strategic role of transport and allows financing infrastructures, funding mass public transport, and supporting European companies that are exposed to global competition, linking such support to social conditionalities.

Joint Conference on Austerity and Public Services | On June 24, one day after the UN Public Services Day, ETF, along with EPSU and ETUCE, organised a joint event titled “Austerity: What Lessons Learned for Public Services”. Speakers, including ETF General Secretary Livia Spera, highlighted how previous austerity policies have driven public services, which are vital for social inclusion and the fight against inequality, to the brink of collapse. Further austerity policies, driven by the EU’s new Economic Governance rules, are likely to exacerbate the situation. The three Federations released a statement calling for greater investment in public services and an end to privatisation.
Extraordinary Executive Committee | ETF held an extraordinary Executive Committee on the 4^th of July to discuss the results of the European Elections and the next steps of the trade union movement.

In solidarity:

• ETF continues to stand in solidarity with Finnish workers in a historic stand against government cuts and breaches of their rights to strike and demonstrate.
  • Trade unionists from across Europe are standing in solidarity with workers in Finland whose labour rights are under attack. 128 transport unions worldwide have co-signed ITF’s and ETF’s open letter to Finland’s Prime Minister Petteri Orpo in opposition to his government’s dangerous and radical moves to undermine the voice of Finnish workers.

Upcoming Events:

• Limit Subcontracting Action: On September 17^th, ETF, EFBWW and EFFAT, three European Trade Union Federations, will organise a joint action in front of the European Parliament in Strasbourg. We will have a gathering outside the Parliament from 2pm to 4pm, followed by an event from 5pm to 6:30pm inside the building, hosted by friendly MEPs.

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