by Alejandro Martínez Treceño | Apr 17, 2024 | News
For the 2024 edition of the Women in Rail Award, the Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking together with the co-organisers, ALE, CER, the European Commission’s Women in Transport Platform , ERA and UNIFE will bring the spotlight on winning combinations, inspiring role models, and outstanding research and innovation achievements for women and by women that are bringing the railway industry forward. This year, the Women In Rail Award will focus on the following themes:
- The Women Empowerment Award recognises a European company in the railway sector that has gone the extra-mile in making gender-balance a top priority and has fully integrated it in its day-to-day decisions and DNA.
- The Leadership and Mentoring Award recognises a woman who has demonstrated exceptional leadership and mentoring through concrete actions, helping women to make a positive impact in the European railway sector.
- The Research and Innovation Award recognises a woman that has demonstrated outstanding work through research and innovation contributing to enhance the attractiveness and/or competitiveness of rail.
The call for applications is open to individuals, companies and organisations. The three winners will be invited to the milestone event InnoTrans in Berlin during which a dedicated Award Ceremony will be organised on the 25 September. Winners will be offered the opportunity to present their projects during high-level stakeholders meetings and networking events, as well as develop opportunities within the rail sector. The deadline to apply has been extended until 7 June. APPLY NOW APPLICATION GUIDELINES EUROPEAN COMMISSION DAILY NEWS ARTICLE
by Alejandro Martínez Treceño | Mar 21, 2024 | News
As part of the work we are doing in Europe for the profession and the development of the railway system, in recent weeks we have had the opportunity to share knowledge and learn from Daniel Biernacik, a member of the Polish train drivers’ union #ZZM, and Danilo Strazzullo, from the Italian union FAST Ferrovie, both vice-president organizations of ALE.
Our colleagues have joined the SEMAF team for a few days, thanks to the #WorkersExchangeProgramme project, an exchange of workers representatives, promoted by CESI – Confederation of Independent Trade Unions, through the European Commission.
We continue working at EU level, hand in hand with the ALE members, to build an integrated and harmonized railway in the European Union.
by Alejandro Martínez Treceño | Mar 14, 2024 | News
The ALE – Federation of European Train Drivers Unions Executive Presidency has been meeting in Warsaw over the last days to establish the #strategic lines of work to strengthen the railway sector in Europe, promoting the profession of train drivers.
The upcoming EU #elections, the revision of the Train Drivers’ #Directive, and the development of our participation in several working groups of the European Union Agency for Railways and the European Commission, were the main topics discussed.
The next meeting of the ALE #Board, where all the European train drivers’ Unions that make up ALE, will meet soon in #Rome to exchange experiences, work together and agree common positions for our activity at EU level.
by Alejandro Martínez Treceño | Sep 8, 2023 | UE Commission
On the 5th, we participated in Brussels at the European Parliament in a breakfast debate organized by Barbara T. MEP in collaboration with ALLRAIL (Alliance of Passenger Rail New Entrants) and ERFA-European Rail Freight Association, also with the presence of representatives from the Directorate-General for mobility and transport of the European Commission.
The topic of the meeting was the revision of the Train Drivers Directive #TDD and, among the most relevant points currently under discussion, the language requirements necessary for drivers operating in cross-border traffic were discussed.
The ALE – Federation of European Train Drivers Unions Secretary General, Alejandro Martínez Treceño, emphasized the importance of being careful during the process of the revision of the Train Drivers’ Directive, stressing the importance of #safety in order to ensure that it is not put in risk in any way.
We all want #more rail in Europe, but not at any price. The challenges we face make it necessary to complement the objectives of sustainable transport and the promotion of rail as the more eco-friendly means of transport, together with a European standard that makes the profession of train driver attractive to new generations, given the high average age of our collective in Europe. It means appropriate working conditions, safe profession, adequate salaries, high standards of training, etc.
By maintaining high safety levels, and providing adequate and standardized training that does not lead to unbalances in obtaining the European driving Licenses and Certificates between different countries, we will be ready to reach the objectives we all pursue.
by Alejandro Martínez Treceño | Nov 23, 2022 | News
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.
