Compliance with working hours must be ensured by all railway undertakings
Vienna (OTS/SK) –
SPÖ Federal Councillor Daniel Schmid was pleased today that all parliamentary groups in the Federal Council had approved his proposal to conduct a study on compliance with working, driving and rest times for train staff. Since the beginning of his term in office, Schmid has been campaigning for fair labour law standards in this area, which have so far fallen on deaf ears with the federal government. ***
“Experience has shown that compliance with European and national standards, particularly with regard to working, driving and rest times, is not adequately monitored in practice. The current situation is exacerbated by an increasing number of market participants and a lack of technical requirements, particularly in cross-border rail transport. The digital recording of working, driving and rest times, especially for train drivers, is crucial to ensure operational safety and compliance with labor law standards in rail transport. A comprehensive study is needed to develop solutions for how recording can be made possible in digital rail operations,” emphasizes Federal Councilor Daniel Schmid.
Due to the lack of recording systems, the controls are currently either not carried out at all or only inadequately. This prevents the labor inspectorates from effectively implementing the legal provisions under Section 217 of the Railway Act on monitoring and enforcing the working, driving and rest times of train drivers. On the basis of the motion for a resolution supported by all parties, SPÖ Federal Councilor Daniel Schmid is calling on the federal government to examine as soon as possible whether a study can be carried out to develop solutions for enabling digital recording in rail operations.
“The federal government and especially Federal Minister Kocher should have completed the focus of the study after the summer in order to commission the study in the autumn, because after all, it is about safety in rail transport,” said SPÖ Federal Councillor Daniel Schmid. (End) sd/pok
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