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The ETF alerts: The European Parliament takes a step back from promoting safety on European roads

1 October 2009

On 29 September 2009, the Employment and Social Affairs Committee of the European Parliament voted down – by only one vote difference – a report opposing the exclusion of self-employed drivers within the scope of the working time directive for road transport. In effect, this vote marks one further step towards allowing certain categories of professional drivers to work as much as 86 hours per week, all year long!

The ETF and its affiliated trade unions disapprove of this result, although acknowledging that a considerable number of Members of the European Parliament share the trade unions’ concerns that an 86-hour work week will allow more tragic accidents on European roads, more dumping and more unfair competition in the road transport sector.

This is a pure deregulation decision! The ETF draws the attention of all European institutions, the media and the wide public on the fact that, should the European Institutions persist in this direction they will:

undermine the interest of the European citizens, who will be more exposed to road transport accidents involving tired, overworked lorry and van drivers;
undermine all future efforts to build a sustainable transportation by road within the European Union and foster the development of a European road transport sector fully based on dumping practices;
create further opportunities for social dumping and decline of social conditions by, for instance, encouraging massive conversion of employed professional drivers into false selfemployed that will benefit from no social protection and will be exploited by the industry.

The drivers’ profession is key for safety of cargo, passengers and citizens in Europe. However, in the last decade the sector has witnessed continuous degradation of dignity of drivers. Working 86 hours per week will make neither the sector nor the profession more attractive for young, skilled
workforce.

The ETF will continue its campaign against the 86 hour working week in road transport, at both national and European levels. An ETF action to be organised on 7 October 2009 in Brussels, in the vicinity of the European Institutions, will be the first in the series of activities to follow.

For more information, please contact the ETF Road Transport section:
Roberto Parrillo, Section President, at rparrillo.transcom@acv-csc.be
Cristina Tilling, Political Secretary, at c.tilling@etf-europe.org

ENDS

European Transport Workers' Federation
Rue du Marché aux Herbes 105, Boîte 11
B-1000 Bruxelles
Telephone: +32 (0)2 285 46 60
Fax: +32 (0)2 280 08 17
Email: etf@etf-europe.org

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Related documents:
ETF Press release RD 30 September 09 EN (73kb PDF)

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