Oana Gherghinescu appointed new ERA Executive Director
On 19th March we attended, as a part of the European Union Agency for Railways’ Management Board, the 68th meeting, where the new Executive Director of the Agency was elected for the next 5 years.
The dialogue with her predecessor, Josef Doppelbauer, has been of great importance for the Train Drivers in Europe, as it has facilitated the incorporation of the vision we have as frontline workers into European policies and technical and regulatory developments in the sector.
We congratulate Oana Gherghinescu, with whom we have had several conversations in the past as she has been working for 10 years within the Agency, for this new stage of great responsibility and we confirm with her the relationship with the social representation of the Train Drivers, which we trust will continue to be very fruitful for the European railway sector.
Source of the picture: ERA
The essential work of Ukrainian train drivers and railway workers
The essential work of Ukrainian train drivers and railway workers
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Autor: Daniel Biernacik
Published: 08 August 2024, 16:08
Once again, the crucial relevance of the railways as one of the strategic means of transport of a nation becomes striking, connecting its territories and structuring it internally. Our Ukrainian colleagues are living in a very difficult situation, immersed in a conflict in which there is still no end in sight.
According to the data collected in the article published in the magazine Venerdì on 18 November 2022, we have lost 271 railway colleagues to date due to this war and despite this sad reality, their commitment is so strong that trains continue to run in Ukraine with a punctuality (94%) that is astonishing compared to the European average (78.7%), carrying out an essential task for that country, moving 200 international delegations and bringing to safety four million citizens, 2000 wounded soldiers and 11,000 tonnes of humanitarian aid delivered to date. Not a single intercity has been cancelled since the start of the conflict on Europe’s third-largest railway, the seventh-largest in the world in terms of goods transported and the sixth in terms of passengers.
Our organisation (ALE) is following with apprehension the situation in which our fellow train drivers are plunged on a daily basis and we want to convey our support to them in the hope that we will soon be able to carry out new humanitarian aid initiatives with the active collaboration of our member unions.
We renew our feeling of closeness to our Ukrainian train drivers’ colleagues, which makes us feel like an essential collective for our countries, in the hope that this conflict will end as soon as possible.
Source: ALE
Apply Now: Women in Rail Award 2024
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
Workers Exchange Programme
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.
ALE Executive Presidency in Warsaw
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.
In light of the serious railway accident that occurred yesterday involving trains operated by iryo and Renfe, ALE – Federation of European Train Drivers Unions wishes to publicly express its profound sorrow and solidarity with all those affected by this tragic event.
We would like to highlight and thank the swift and exemplary response of the railway staff who, from the very first moments, took part in the management of the tragedy. Likewise, emergency services for the assistance of passengers and crews from both affected trains, acting with professionalism and dedication under extremely challenging circumstances.
ALE reiterates its commitment to railway safety and will oversee that the ongoing investigation will be conducted with the utmost rigor, independence, and transparency, with the aim of fully clarifying what happened and adopting all necessary measures to prevent a tragedy of this nature from occurring again.
The Federation remains at the disposal of train drivers and all railway workers to provide any support and assistance that may be required during these difficult times.