What is the ETF?

The European Transport Workers' Federation (ETF) is a new and only pan-European trade union organisation which embraces transport trade unions from all geographic Europe: from Albania to United Kingdom.

When was the ETF created?

The European Transport Workers' Federation was created in Brussels on 14-15 June 1999.

Which trade unions belong to the ETF?

The ETF has affiliated 196 unions organising workers in railways, road transport, maritime transport, port and docks, inland navigation, civil aviation, fisheries and tourism services. Some of them organize workers in all transport modes, some of them only in specific secctors. Some are organizing many industries, and transport is just a part of their activities; some of them are public services unions and affiliated only with urban transport.

How many workers does the ETF represent?

The ETF represents some three million workers from 38 European countries.

What are the main activities of the ETF?

Working within an overall framework of global solidarity, the ETF operates both as the European region of the ITF and as the transport federation of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC). Its principal activity is to represent and defend the interests of transport workers throughout Europe. It formulates and coordinates trade union transport and social policy at the European level, organises concerted industrial activities, engages in education and training.

The ETF is the recognised Social Partner in the European Social Dialogue in the transport industry and in fishery and represents the interests of transport workers across Europe vis-à-vis the European Commission, the European Parliament, the Council of Ministers, and the other institutions of the European union.

Where is the ETF based and who runs it?

The ETF has its headquarters in Brussels.

This is our professional staff:

Doro ZINKE	General Secretary	d.zinke@etf-europe.org
Sabine TRIER	Railways	s.trier@etf-europe.org
Eduardo CHAGAS & Catherine SZYKO	Seafarers, Ports and Docks, Fishery	e.chagas@etf-europe.org
Cristina TILLING	Central and Eastern Europe	c.tilling@etf-europe.org
François BALLESTERO	Civil aviation	f.ballestero@etf-europe.org
Beatrice HERTOGS	Inland waterways	b.hertogs@etf-europe.org

Secretariat - etf@etf-europe.org

Beatrice HERTOGS

Political Secretary Road and inland waterways . This means , that the job content is about:

• Organizing the coordination of the transport unions in Europe, and in particular , to define positions on European issues related to the European policy-making regarding road and inland waterways as well as to the developments in the sector
• lobbying the European institutions in order to defend these positions
• Participating in the European social sectoral dialogue as well as coordinating trade-union action in this body
• Organizing some training and education
• cooperating in European works councils of the sector

Taking into account, the future developments of the sector , I'm also charged to follow the logistics sector which in many cases ''embraces'' different transport modes.