The past November 18th, representatives from ALE attended the 2nd meeting on the revision of the European Directive for Certification of Train Drivers 2007/59/CE, both physically and remotely.
As a Federation of several European train drivers´ unions, we are/were able to put on the table the differences between Member States and propose a common solution.
Our organization was presented as a key stakeholder in the railway sector, directly involved in this revision. Although we are somewhat aligned in maintaining high standards of safety and training, unfortunately we still detected points of misunderstanding in the railway sector and the train drivers’ profession from the point of view of other organizations.
ALE left clear its position about the guidelines this revision should follow, in order to enhance the safety, reliability and efficiency of our job and the railway sector in general.
Furthermore, ALE stressed the importance to listen to train drivers’ feedback in order to achieve the milestones included in the Sustainable and Smart Mobility Plan.
In any situation involving a reduction of requirements in relation to driver training, technical and management expertise we will not agree. The objectives of interoperability and mobility can be improved without workers bearing the burden of certain regulatory changes.