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The third “railway package” of reforms, agreed by the Transport Committee of the European Parliament in April 2005, builds on the liberalisation gained in the first and second packages, and now concentrates on passenger services.

If the final decision confirms the European Parliament Transport Committee’s position, it will open up international passenger railways from 2008 and national passenger railways (including cabotage) from 2010. Freight transport was liberalised in 2003, with the target that by 2006/2007 no barriers should remain to goods being transported around the EU.

In the current round however, the EP Transport Committee has approved – contrary to the Council of Transport Ministers – the main demand of the ETF (the European arm of the ITF) on one of the four elements of the 3rd Railway Package, the draft directive establishing a European licensing system for train crew. The Committee decided in favour of the licensing of all train crew, drivers and on-board personnel who have responsibility for safety whether on national or cross-border routes.

However this provision of the package, which includes the potential for national “opt out” by any Member State, has been postponed by procedural technicalities.

One clear victory for European social dialogue is that trade unions have secured a set of minimum labour standards for employees who work across borders. These standards will now be implemented as a Council Directive.

ETF Railway Officer Sabine Trier commented: “Common minimum standards on driving and rest time for mobile railway workers who are working across borders became indispensable with the opening up of the railway markets. They are only way to avoid an endless downward competition on social standards such as working time. They not only ensure workers’ health and safety but also rail safety.”

Nonetheless, railway trade unions in all European countries continue to face serious challenges in the nature and security of their jobs. Employment levels are declining, activities are being outsourced, and workers are having to work more intensively and more flexibly as cross-border cooperation among railway companies threatens to give way to competition between new and existing companies.