Report on Sectoral SD recommendations
Group E & G – Road Transport
Young Transport Workers - Conference
26 – 27 September 2011
Riga
1. Key issues and demands from young workers
in the sector
A. What are possible reasons why a young worker does not want to start working
in the road transport sector?
Outcome group exercise:
o
The image of the transport sector
Feedback ETF Political Secretary:
•
The social partners are aware that the driver’s profession is not attractive (partly due to
bad work-life balance and working conditions). The topic will be discussed in the social
dialogue next year (2012)
Outcome group exercise:
o
Work life balance (working on national holidays, weekends, rest time, lack of
spare time,…)
Feedback ETF Political Secretary:
•
Resting hours are regulated in road transport by regulation 561/2006
(driving and rest time) and by the sectoral working time directive (Directive
2002/15/EC) – hence, rest time is a question of enforcement;
•
Much has to do with strict imposed regulations (EU and national level)
aiming to improve road safety, and on which the social partners would not
open any debate: amongst others, the driving and rest time regulation,
working time, as well as nationally imposed week-end bans, etc.
•
The social partners will discuss these aspects during 2012
1. Key issues and demands from young workers
in the sector
A. What are possible reasons why a young worker does not want to start working
in the road transport sector?
Outcome group exercise:
o
Undeclared (black) work
Feedback ETF Political Secretary:
•
ETF and IRU (International Road Transport Union) have discussed illegal employment
practices at two of their recent meetings in the Social dialogue;
•
ETF will provide bad practice examples to the IRU;
•
This topic will be regularly discussed in the future social dialogue meetings as some of the
employers are of the opinion that social dumping practices undermine fair competition and
place them on a disadvantaged footing compared to those companies / operators who
refuse to fulfil their social obligations;
Outcome group exercise:
o
No job security, lack of career opportunities
Feedback ETF Political Secretary:
•
This will be tackled by the social partners in 2012
1. Key issues and demands from young workers
in the sector
A. What are possible reasons why a young worker does not want to start working
in the road transport sector?
Outcome group exercise:
o
The cost of education
Feedback ETF Political Secretary:
•
The question of who covers the cost for professional training (driver’s training) is a
question of national competence (differs from Member State to Member State);
•
Currently, the social partners ETF and IRU are working on a project on driver’s training to
get more information – amongst others – how the training cost is dealt with at national
level;
•
It is more than likely that the social partners will make final recommendations, based on
the project output;
1. Key issues and demands from young workers
in the sector
B. What are possible reasons why a young transport worker stops working
in the road transport sector?
Outcome group exercise:
o
Bad working conditions
o
Lack of career opportunities
o
Work-life balance
o
Low salaries
Feedback ETF Political Secretary:
•
First three answers: see previous slides
•
Low salaries:
•
the social partners at European level cannot discuss salaries as this is not their
competence;
•
however, the ETF will launch a campaign on recruiting international drivers, and part
of that campaign will be information on social dumping and what one can do to
prevent / address it;
2. Key issues and demands from young workers
in the sector
C. What changes need to be made in order to attract more young workers to the road
transport sector and increase the likelihood of a long career in this sector?
Outcome group exercise:
o
Reasonable working hours
o
Reasonable salary
Feedback ETF Political Secretary:
•
See feedback previous slides
2. Key issues and demands from young workers
in the sector
C. What changes need to be made in order to attract more young workers to the road
transport sector and increase the likelihood of a long career in this sector?
Outcome group exercise:
o
Improve the image
Feedback ETF Political Secretary:
•
The social partners ETF and IRU will be addressing this topic in 2012, as it is part of their
2-year work programme;
•
For the time being, the ETF and IRU discuss the illegal employment practices in road
transport and ways to address it;
•
Part of the employers – particularly the ones who are complying with all existing national
and EU legislation – are very much interested in the topic, as they are ‘victims’ of unfair
competition;
2. Key issues and demands from young workers
in the sector
C. What changes need to be made in order to attract more young workers to the road
transport sector and increase the likelihood of a long career in this sector?
Outcome group exercise:
o
Safety related working conditions,
Feedback ETF Political Secretary:
•
the ETF and IRU will consider to start a joint work of cooperation with OSHA (the EU
Occupational Health and Safety Agency); this may help boost the joint social partners’
work in this field;
•
The ETF and IRU are very active in respect to promoting safe parking areas and rest
facilities
Outcome group exercise:
o
Better social benefits
Feedback ETF Political Secretary:
•
The European social partners have limited possibility to discuss this, as
social benefits are a matter of national (Member State) competence;
•
However, the sector should comply with the minimum requirements set up
at EU level, but not in terms of financial benefits as rather in terms for
time-related benefits i.e. length of maternity leave, etc.
3. Recommendations for the European Sectoral
Social Dialogue
A. Which topics would you recommend to discuss in the European Sectoral Social
Dialogue Committee for Road Transport?
Outcome group exercise:
o
Common perspective on collective
bargaining (cabotage)
Feedback ETF Political Secretary:
•
The European social partners ETF and IRU are far from negotiating a collective
agreement at European level;
•
with regards to cabotage, the ETF insists on the enforcement of the Posting of Workers’
directive, as an immediate solution to address distortions and social dumping;
3. Recommendations for the European Sectoral
Social Dialogue
A. Which topics would you recommend to discuss in the European Sectoral Social
Dialogue Committee for Road Transport?
Outcome group exercise:
o
Quality jobs
Feedback ETF Political Secretary:
•
This will be discussed by the social partners in 2012, and it is already part of their work
programme;
•
In addition, the ETF Road Transport Section will organise a campaign on recruiting
international drivers;
•
Part of this campaign will consist in developing a dossier (including short video-s,
testimonies by drivers, etc.) on the poor level of social conditions in this sector;
•
The dossier will be handed out to the EU and national policy makers by the end of 2012;
3. Recommendations for the European Sectoral
Social Dialogue
A. Which topics would you recommend to discuss in the European Sectoral Social
Dialogue Committee for Road Transport?
Outcome group exercise:
o
Retirement age
o
Regulations (taxi drivers, lorry drivers,…)
Feedback ETF Political Secretary:
•
Retirement age: The European Social partners (ETF and IRU) have no competence to
discuss the retirement age at EU or national level
•
Regulations:
•
the social partners only have competence to be consulted on social legislation;
•
but they can use soft instruments (such as statements and joint position papers, joint
actions) when EU law is being decided on;
•
at the moment, the ETF and IRU try to develop some joint position on the digital
tachograph;
3. Recommendations for the European Sectoral
Social Dialogue
A. Which topics would you recommend to discuss in the European Sectoral Social
Dialogue Committee for Road Transport?
Outcome group exercise:
o
Unemployment rate among young workers
Feedback ETF Political Secretary:
•
This will be discussed in relation to the ageing workforce in road transport, during the
social dialogue meetings of 2012
B. Which topics related to young workers would you recommend to discuss in the
European Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee for RoadTransport?
Outcome group exercise:
o
Professional training and development
o
Regulation concerning harrasment and
discrimination
o
More regulation for job security, no longer
temporary contracts
o
Improved social benefits
o
Unemployment rate