Our Priorities The fundamental goal of the ETF maritime transport section is to contribute to a strong European maritime transport industry. That vision underpins our priorities for 2017-2021. A strong, sustainable maritime sector means an industry without social dumping and unfair competition, with decent and safe employment, high-quality training and certification standards, and with an enabling environment for the recruitment and retention of European seafarers including a greater participation of female and young seafarers. With this vision in mind, we have three main priorities: • Fair Shipping Campaign: towards an EU maritime space for shipping services without social dumping and with decent terms and conditions for all crew irrespective of their nationality or place of residence. The Seafarers’ Social Rights Campaign aims to strengthen seafarers’ social protection, shipboard welfare, and fundamental trade union rights. We want these social rights to thrive, in order to guarantee decent work and better living conditions. This will in turn promote recruitment and retention, in particular for seafarers on board European flagged vessels. Future proofing careers for seafarers and maritime professionals is key to promoting employment and decent working conditions. The sector must focus on better matching skills demand and supply in seafaring jobs, and helping seafarers to adapt to changing work environments and new technologies. This is vital in a context of increased automation and digitalisation and the greening of the sector. The improvement of seafarers’ job prospects and the diversification of skills and career paths will also foster more and better employment for Europeans in the maritime transport The Fair Shipping Campaign aims to increase and protect employment for European seafarers by persuading the EU to enact regulatory changes to shipping rules. At the moment, the existing social and labour regulations, be it at EU or national level, only partially apply to seafarers. This leaves seafarers in European waters without the same level of protection as enjoyed by workers on land. This campaign will push for the creation of a European maritime space without social dumping, where European social standards – as opposed to internationally agreed minimum standards – would apply. These higher standards would help limit competition on labour costs and create an environment where European seafarers could be employed with fair terms and conditions. Our Activities Campaign: Fair Shipping for Europe. A European maritime space without social dumping. Issues: Women in shipping. A more gender-balanced shipping industry for Europe. Issues: Digitalisation in shipping: a human-centred approach. ETF favours a human-centred and sustainable approach to digitalisation and automation in the shipping industry. Projects: Future Proof Skills for the Maritime Transport Sector. Developing a sectoral skills strategy for the maritime transport sector. Projects: Training tomorrow’s representatives for maritime port workers. The training sessions will provide an insight into the complex economic and financial decision-making processes in the maritime and port industries. Campaign: Fair Transport for Europe. Our campaign for dignity at work. No to social dumping and wage exploitation in transport! Campaign: Defending Europe’s tug and towboat workers. Workers in the tug industry face specific challenges at the intersection of docks, seafaring and inland waterways.