Quality of Life for All

Public Transport – Towards a Sustainable Mobility

Ecological Sustainability

Economical Sustainability

Social Sustainability

What can we contribute?

Politics change

Sector changes

To Do at ETF level

To Do at Trade Union Level

1. Ecological Sustainability

Climate Change is man-made. We have ~10 years to

avoid the worst effects.

Until 2099: Temperature will rise +3 to +8°C

Major source of increase in CO2 emissions: Transport

+69%.

Public Transport is at the Core of Ecological Sustainability in cities:Increasing Public Transport could …

attract +5% bus passengers

+10% railway passengers

-0,9% car use

-0,4% greenhouse gas emissions.

Job growth in Public Transport (AUT: -1400 jobs/year)

Not much?

Speed limits of 80/100 km/h: -12% greenhouse gas

emissions!

What can we contribute?

The major factors are not in our hands:

Regional Structure (housing, shopping centres, business)

Urbanisation and car use

pricing of city car space (parking, city toll)

Politics is also in our hands:

We are not only responsible for our workplaces,

but also for our sector: Engage in Politics

Economic Sustainability

Financial situation of the public sector:

generally worsening due to tax competition

Financial situation of the public transport sector:

fair for state-owned public transport companies (EU-15)

fair to bad for private public transport companies

profit margin <5% in British bus industry

Sweden since competition: -267 Mio SEK deficit

bad to very bad for state-owned pt companies (NAC)

Restructuring in Public Transport sector:

< 6 large multinational companies,

some large integrated public companies remaining in Metropolises

Many, many very little operators in niches

What can we contribute?

Tax competition is done by governments:

Lobbying for minimum company taxes

EU lobbying for an end to unanimity in tax issues

Competition between operators is done by public authorities:

Lobbying against competition in Public Transport

Lobbying for quality and social standards in public tenders

Our response to restructuring?

organise Multinationals

keep strongholds in public companies

… thereby setting standards to protect conditions in SME

Social Sustainability

1) Transport is unfair to users:

Unfair access: Those who can‘t afford a car, loose opportunities:

Increase in % of households living more than 27 minutes from facilities in the UK

01020

3040506070

8090

100

Doctors Post office Chemist Food store ShoppingC.

Facilities

% o

f h

ou

seh

old

s

1989 Urban

1998 Urban

1989 Rural

1998 Rural

Social Sustainability

Unfair burden of consequences: Externalities mostly hurt the

already marginalized: poor, disabled, elderly, children

Private car is over-privileged: Who has a car, has more chances

to find a job, to buy cheaper goods, to entertainment, leisure, nature.

„Poor transport can […] reinforce social exclusion“ (UK Government‘s

Social Exclusion Unit)

1) Transport is unfair to users:

Unfair access: Those who can‘t afford a car, loose opportunities:

Social Sustainability

2) EU transport policy is unfair to public transport workers

PSO directive (by 2009):

compulsory tendering in regional bus services

direct award in railway and inhouse awards with strict

conditions

state-owned companies also take on competition-like

behaviour

Railway packages: -600.000 jobs in the last 12-15 years

Sector restructuring:

worse wages, worse working conditions, less jobs

Times, they are changin‘

Politics change

The conditions which form our workplaces, are moved far outside the companies:

EU politics

national liberalisation

Politics is done by lobbying

limited scope of social partnership

„networks and partners“

resources count

less democratic accountability

(Bob Dylan)

We have to change:

intensified ETF lobbying

intensified national lobbying

Social partnership needs a

strategy and has to be

accompanied by pressure

Team up in networks

Take part in ETF lobbying

and pay ETF fees

develop pressure

Times, they are changin‘

Sector changes

More and more public tendering

In direct award: less and less subsidy available

Market structure concentrates

larger public transport networks

less & bigger Multinationals

more & more complex company relations

restructuring of public companies

(Bob Dylan)

We have to change :

lobby public authorities,

linked with industrial action

maintain public „safe

havens“

tender quality and social

standards

European Works Councils

training + sharing

experience on restructuring

and outsourcing

To Do at ETF level

Research & Training:

How to implement quality and social standards into tendering

How to campaign for these standards

Strategy building:

How to achieve results in a worsening political environment

Coordinated Lobbying:

Example: Protection on transfer of ownership (cross-sectoral)

Networking:

Multinational corporations and their practices

Social Dialogue

develop strategies and prepare pressure

To Do at Trade Union Level

Research, Training, Recruiting:

set up campaigning structures

recruit rank & file members for European activity

Lobbying:

against further national liberalisation

against tenders without quality and social standards

lobby EU members (MEPs, Government Council) in concert

with ETF lobbying

Networking:

Team up European Works Councils of Multinationals

EU-Social Dialogue

prepare for pressure at EU level

A final remark

How did you come to this conference?

What for are you here?

This conference emitted approx. 100 people x 2500 km flight

= 400 x 100 kg CO2

= 40.000 kg CO2. If we don‘t set up anything which saves more

emissions than this, then we have damaged the world

just by talking.