While the European Commission was presenting a range of initiatives in the social arena on Wednesday 26 April, trade unions from the road transport sector were protesting outside the Commission premises, to denounce social dumping and the Commission’ projects for this sector.
The European Transport Workers Federation (ETF) is concerned by some of the ideas mooted by the Commission regarding driving and rest time as part of the road package planned for 31 May (see EUROPE 11758).
In the morning, in a meeting with demonstrators at the Schuman roundabout, Transport Commissioner, Violeta Bulc, took to the podium to request that the trade unions pursue dialogue with the Commission and stopped spreading unfounded “rumours”.
That same afternoon, the Commissioner met a delegation from the ETF, to discuss the content of the road package. The trade unions left the meeting only partially satisfied, if Cristina Tilling, the political secretary in charge of road transport at the ETF, is to be believed.
The Commissioner did indeed provide guarantees for the 45-minute break time, which will now be divided into two and not three parts. She also indicated that there would be no exemptions for bus and coach drivers’ driving time. These guarantees, however, did not appear sufficient to the unions.
The Commission somewhat amended the structure of the package and introduced the point on cabotage - not in the section on market access, as initially planned, but in the section on decarbonisation. According to Ms Tilling, this can be explained by the Commission’s determination to present its new project as a strategy for tackling climate change and not for liberalising the market. This will be done by the number of transport operations made not containing loads.
The unions called for the presentation of the draft package to be put back because they considered them inappropriate but the Commissioner refused.
The unions intend to request another longer meeting with Ms Bulc, in an effort to put over their points of view in a more detailed way. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)