09/EC-4/2.1
European Transport Workers’ Federation
Executive Committee Meeting, 19-20 November 2009
Item 2: Adoption of the report of the last meeting – 25 May 2009
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
25 May 2009
Ponta Delgada
Chair: Wilhelm Haberzettl, ETF President
The participants’ list is attached as Annex 1.
Item 1 – Adoption of the Agenda
The Agenda was adopted as presented.
Item 2 – Adoption of the report of the last meeting (Brussels, 14 & 15 April 2009)
The report was adopted with the inclusion of a reference to the election of Steve Turner as
Chair of the Civil Aviation Section in item 3.1.
Item 3 – Affiliation issues
The GS informed of the new applications for affiliation received from two FIOST unions:

Independent Trade Union of Transport Federation of Macedonia, FYROM

Federatia Nationala Feroviara Miscare Comercial, Romania.
The GS recalled that, according to the agreement reached earlier this year, FIOST members
will be automatically accepted to become ITF members with effect from the moment when at
least six months of affiliation fees are paid. This is foreseen to happen for most of those unions
as from the 1st of January 2010.
Moreover, according to the abovementioned agreement, in case of FIOST unions, the members
from the same countries as the applicants are not formally consulted but rather informed. To
this regard, the GS informed that the Secretariat had received from one of the Romanian
affiliates reservations regarding the affiliation of the Federatia Nationala Feroviara Miscare
Comercial, and that he would personally clarify the issue with the concerned affiliate.
He then recommended the EC to accept both applications.
D. Cockroft confirmed the fact that practically all FIOST members were expected to affiliate to
the ITF/ETF family. In case some problems were encountered, these would be dealt with
directly with all parties involved.
Both applications were approved with a majority vote in favour and one abstention, membership
becoming effective from the moment when the conditions mentioned above are met.
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Item 4 – Financial matters
4.1. Financial report for 2008
The GS provided information on the financial data contained in the documents sent out to
participants. He signalled that the refurbishment of the new headquarters and the move took up
a prominent role in the 2008 figures.
N. Bramley asked if the investment made by ITF when buying the new ETF headquarters could
be still considered a good one, as the actual costs involved were higher than those initially
budgeted.
D. Cockroft confirmed that investing in Brussels real estate had been one of the best
investments the ITF had done in the last year, also taking into account the stock-exchange
crisis.
The financial report was adopted unanimously.
4.2. Lay auditors’ report
The GS informed the EC that the lay auditors’ report coincided with the one of the external
auditors and confirmed that no irregularity was found in the ETF finance. He therefore asked the
EC to adopt the report and to discharge both the internal and external auditors.
The Lay auditors’ report was adopted and discharge was granted unanimously.
Item 5 – Congress preparation
5.1
Congress Agenda
The GS presented the Congress draft agenda and timetable and provided practical information
concerning the social events. The Congress opening addresses would be delivered by
representatives of the Portuguese and Azorean governments.
As for the composition of the Credentials Committee, it had already been discussed at the last
EC meeting. The GS asked the EC’s support for the proposed composition.
The Credential Committee’s composition was endorsed as presented.
The GS informed that the following organisations have applied to attend the Congress as
observers, and asked for the EC’s endorsement:
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EVA gGmbH, Germany
International Confederation of Water Transport Workers, Russia
SECAFI, France
The EC agreed unanimously.
The GS further informed that the Women’s Conference would be open for all affiliates: men
would also be welcome, but only women would be the official delegates.
The GS then introduced all Congress documents, starting with the financial report for the entire
mandate (2005-2009). Despite the increase in affiliation fees, a constant decrease in the net
income occurred. According to the expectations, costs have increased, and the number of
affiliates declared by members has decreased constantly. A lay auditors’ report for this 4-year
period was also made available.
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The President asked for the adoption of the document. The EC adopted the documents
unanimously.
The GS introduced the document on item 11 - Affiliation fees. The possible future scenarios for
the future ETF budget had been discussed at the last EC meetings and were detailed in the
document. In the light of the forecast presented in such document, and in view of keeping ETF
finances stable notwithstanding the membership decline, the proposition would be to increase
affiliation fees to EUR 0.65 as from 1 January 2010 and from there on to follow the Belgian
inflation rate. This system would have the advantage to be gradual and to adapt the fees
received to the actual cost increase.
Additionally, the Congress would be asked to give the EC the mandate to decide on a higher
increase of affiliation fees, should it be deemed necessary.
The President asked for the adoption of these two principle decisions. The decisions were
endorsed unanimously.
The GS thanked the EC and pointed out that such increase would allow the Secretariat to keep
delivering good outcomes and to face the constantly increasing demands from affiliates. As
already mentioned in the past, he said, the ETF Secretariat has limited human resources and
the staff is often overloaded, with the consequence that some of the demands, coming either
from affiliates or from the institutional level, can not be properly dealt with.
In the light of the above the GS would ask the Congress to give the EC the mandate to hire an
additional member of the staff as of 2011 that would work to assist the General Secretary. That
would require an additional but small increase of the affiliation fees (EUR 0.02)
The President opened the floor.
P. Østvold, on behalf of the Nordic unions, expressed support to these proposals.
N. Bramley noted that, by following this way, affiliation fees would increase with 20% over the
next 4 years. The same demands, he said, could be put forward on the occasion of the 2010
ITF Congress, while unions at national level experience a dramatic membership drop. A too
high increase, he warned, could have the side effect to push affiliates lowering their
membership figures.
E. Ott agreed with what was affirmed by N. Bramley and said that the decisions on increasing
fees should be taken very cautiously. However, he added, effectiveness is the major issue and
therefore the request of the GS should be supported.
The President noted the following decisions, which were supported unanimously:
 Increase of affiliation fees would be done on a staggered basis;
 Congress should mandate the EC to take decisions on affiliation fees if necessary;
 An additional increase of 0, 02€ for an extra staff member could be decided by the EC in
view of the recruitment of one additional staff as from 2011.
The GS went through the remaining items on Congress’ agenda.
5.2
Congress Drafting Group Recommendation on Amendments and Motions
The GS reported to the EC on the proposals for amendments received to the motions.
He informed that some of the amendments that had been introduced by AKT were in
contradiction with the general ETF policy on internalisation of external costs. After discussion
with NTF on their support to those amendments, the NTF decided to withdraw its support to
them.
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The GS informed that motion 7 (Economic and social crises in transport) had been written with
the assistance of VIDA and was still to be discussed, as it had been only circulated after the
deadline had expired. H. Voitl introduced the text which is a summary of the last EC’s
discussion, noting it lacked of quantitative data. The motion is very comprehensive and reflects
very well the present situation.
The President asked the EC to agree that the motion would be submitted to Congress on its
behalf for discussion. This was supported unanimously by the EC.
The GS gave a brief overview of all motions, of the amendments that had been tabled and on
the MC recommendations on those. A document containing amendments and the relative
opinion of the MC was circulated to EC members.
A debate followed. The GS took note of the discussion and of the EC recommendations for
voting on motions and amendments. Those would be listed in a document to be presented to
Congress (attached as annex 2).
The President explained the voting procedure to be followed by the Congress: single
amendments would first be voted on and at last the full motion as amended would be put to
vote. He recalled the EC that the proposals to be submitted to the Congress result from intense
negotiations and compromises.
Elections
The EC supported the nominations of Graham Stevenson for election as ETF President and of
Eduardo Chagas as ETF General Secretary.
The EC supported the nomination put forward for the 5 lay auditors: Noëlle Olivier (FETS-FO –
France), Mikko Tuominen (FSU – Finland), Georges Eeckhout (BTB-UBOT – Belgium),
Hubert Hollerich (ÖGB-L – Luxembourg) and Antoine Gevaert (ACLVB-CGSLB – Belgium).
Congress would be asked to agree on the proposed composition of the sub regional groups that
have to nominate 37 candidates in total. Delegates will be invited to hand over the filled
nomination papers by 17.00hrs of 28 May 2009.
Item 6 – Any other business
6.1.
Election in Civil Aviation Section
The GS Informed the EC on the debate and decision taken by the MC that took place in the
morning of the same day. It was agreed that the MC would discuss with the Steering Committee
of the CA Section on how to proceed and on the revision of the internal rules. An updated report
would be provided at the EC meeting of 29th May.
Item 7 – Date of the next meeting – 29th May 2009
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