Rail workers staged an international day of action on 29 March 2001 in support of safety in the rail industry. The action was organised by the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) and aimed to draw attention to the problem of safety in the sector, as well as supporting a safety memorandum drawn up by the European Transport Workers' Federation (ETF).
On 29 March 2001, an international day of action in the rail sector, coordinated by the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) was supported by rail workers in 40 countries worldwide. The action placed a special focus on joint cross-border activities in international train stations, with the participation of unions from a number of countries. Actions ranged from a letter-writing campaign in Australia to demonstrations in Bangladesh and Namibia, leafleting of passengers in Japan and Russia, marches in South Africa, strike action in Italy and France, and commemorative tree-planting in the UK.
One of the main aims of the day of action was to promote a memorandum for a system for railway safety in Europe, drawn up by the European Transport Workers' Federation (ETF). The memorandum states that there is no clear safety concept emerging from European legislation and that the current EU focus on deregulation is, in ETF's view, without prerequisites for preserving railway safety. It highlights the following areas of particular concern:
- the infrastructure of the railways must remain in the public sector. In the view of ETF, this is the best way of ensuring that investments in safety take precedence over "shareholder value";
- responsibilities for safety must be clearly assigned;
- uniform safety standards must be clearly defined and applicable to all companies entering the market. Safety certificates must include a clear definition of standards as well as the conditions under which certificates will be withdrawn;
- each rail company must be able to present a clear safety management system, including procedures for emergency management in the case of a deviation from standard operations;
- standards for training and qualifications must be defined, in addition to standards for employees' medical and psychological fitness. Each rail company must employ a sufficient number of qualified staff;
- in the case of trans-border activities, companies must ensure that employees have the necessary specific knowledge of the relevant network regulations and language;
- the European Commission should integrate worldwide experiences with the safety-related aspects of rail deregulation into any future regulatory proposals;
- European standards on working time and rest periods must be defined in order to prevent the undercutting of working time and social standards; and
- employees and their unions must be represented in the European bodies which determine European railway policy and safety. The memorandum points specifically to the European Railway Agency.
Mac Urata, head of the ITF's inland transport section, stated that: "This could hardly be a more topical issue. It is only two days since the awful train crash in Belgium. Meanwhile, in the UK a joint inquiry into two rail crashes has today called for investment in safety equipment. Lack of funding and investment in railways is an urgent issue around the world."
The 2001 railway action day followed a similar event in 2000 (EU0004239N).