ALE targets

ALE mission statement
The day-to-day assignments and working conditions of a locomotive driver are demanding. Permanent shift work and changing working hours, together with a high responsibility for people and material, have led to this occupational group uniting in many European countries to form an autonomous lobby group. National answers have long been inadequate.

The revival of railways instigated by Europe more than 15 years ago has brought little good to the railway employee. Increasing privatisation of the former national railways, their gradual liberalisation and the associated tough competition have meant rationalisation and loss of jobs. Competition is implemented not only through wages and salaries but also increasingly through working conditions. For example, new companies aim to achieve shorter training periods and longer driving staff rest times away from home. The “established” railways respond with spin-offs that lead to a deterioration in working conditions and wages. The “rail trucker” is a threat on the horizon.

ALE works for answers co-ordinated at a European level to achieve effective representation of the interests of locomotive drivers in Europe. It has set itself the target of harmonising minimum standards under labour and social law. Above all, the maintenance and standardisation of the highly qualified training of locomotive drivers are a warranty of safety for people and material on the railways. What is more, drivers must not be elbowed aside by colleagues from other countries with a lower income. This leads to the ALE demand for a medium- or long-term alignment of the working conditions and wages of European locomotive drivers.

Liberalisation
One major ALE concern is that the liberalisation of the railways must not be implemented at the expense of locomotive drivers. The EU sees liberalisation as a universal remedy. ALE does not fundamentally reject liberalisation and competition but calls for implementation at a controlled and measured pace. It warns against transferring experience from air and road traffic to railways without reservation. ALE has always called for liberalisation to be slowed down or suspended until the conditions of competition between carriers have been harmonised. Such harmonisation also includes the creation of equal entry requirements to the railway traffic market in the European countries. And ALE gives special priority to the introduction of standard European driving time regulations for locomotive drivers.

Occupation-related policy
ALE is a competent partner for the European railway companies and politicians at European level and a reliable collaborator on subjects relating to labour and social policy.

Application for recognition as an employee representative
To be able to represent the interests of European locomotive drivers in terms of employment and social policy, ALE submitted an official application for participation in the Sectoral Social Dialogue in the rail industry at the EU Commission for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities in 2005. ALE is supported in this action by the CESI, the umbrella organisation of independent trades union. First contacts have been made with the European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF). Currently, negotiations are being held to establish a co-operation agreement on the employee side.

ALE co-operation in working groups of the European Railway Agency
ALE is represented in three working groups of the European Railway Agency (ERA). They deal with

• drafting technical specifications for the interoperability of conventional rail traffic,
• defining common safety targets and
• certification of repair workshops.

ALE calls for continuation of the principle that only highly qualified locomotive drivers are allowed to drive trains across Europe. This will maintain the high railway safety standard and benefit both passengers and goods. Following the European Directive on establishing the European Railway Agency (881/2004), ALE calls for early establishment of another working group to make recommendations for the introduction of common standard criteria for the professional qualification and assessment of operating and repair personnel for the railway systems. In this, primarily locomotive drivers and instructors should be considered.

Action to prevent wage and social dumping
An important step to prevent wage and social dumping in cross-frontier traffic has been taken by ALE by entering into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the company rail4chem and other partners in the alliance European Bulls in November 2006.

The participants aim to co-operate to ensure that the locomotive drivers working on international routes are paid appropriately, that their training and further training comply with their responsibility, that they are granted appropriate protection in the event of working incapacity and unfitness for technical service and that the compatibility of work and family is promoted. To prevent wage dumping, the following is agreed: Locomotive drivers on foreign routes must be paid the same as their colleagues in the country concerned. However, if the wage level is lower there, they have a minimum claim to their customary pay.