by Daniel Biernacik | Aug 8, 2024 | News
The essential work of Ukrainian train drivers and railway workers
Image: Source image. If empty remove this text.
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.
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 Paolo Lauzzana | Apr 3, 2023 | News
On the past 21st of March, our adjunct Secretary and train driver, Laura Pantone, represented ALE at the first stakeholder conference regarding the means on how to mitigate the disruptive effects of automation within the transport sector, including the role of train drivers of tomorrow.
The theme is brought out by the EU Commission in the “Smart & Sustainable Mobility Strategy for 2030”, where there is clearly stated the political intention to fully implement by 2030 the so-called ATO – Automated Train Operations, without going into details and explaining what it really means from an operative standpoint. Furthermore, an EU recommendation on how to mitigate the impact on the workforce was promised, but only now, EU Commission has done the first steps to really develop it.
These stakeholder conferences have the objective to develop a complete EU recommendation on the theme to further develop, maybe, in EU binding regulations. This process is fundamental since the transport sector is basically the first sector to undergo massive automation in 2030. If not properly addressed, there is the severe possibility of massive unemployment in the long term.
ALE´s position is very clear on the matter. Firstly, we need in-depth and accurate preliminary research on the impact of these measures: for ALE, the actual impact assessment study on the workforce is not sufficient to take an informed decision. Secondly, the EU Commission, Institutions and Authorities must accompany the process with binding rules for RUs, to avoid collective layoffs. Thirdly, more specific rules and conditions must apply to the broader “upskilling & reskilling”, to ensure the same level of employment and the same level of professional training. All this taking into account the importance of ensuring safety as a fundamental pillar in the development of digital tools in relation to the driving of railway vehicles.
The journey towards a fully ATO-implemented technology and complete regulations on the matter is still long. We are still in an embryonal state, and ALE´s contribution will be crucial for a proper evolution in the next 10 years.
ALE is an organization representing more than 50.000 train drivers in Europe and the expertise we exchange within every forum will surely enhance the correct development of the EU regulations.
by Paolo Lauzzana | Nov 29, 2022 | News
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.
