Compliance with working hours must be ensured by all railway companies
Vienna (OTS/SK) –
The SPÖ Federal Councilor Daniel Schmid was pleased today that all parliamentary groups in the Federal Council approved his request to carry out a study on compliance with working, driving and rest times for train crews. Since the beginning of his mandate, Schmid has campaigned for fair labor law standards in this area, which have so far fallen on deaf ears in 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, especially in cross-border rail traffic. 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 required in order to develop solutions on how recording can be made possible in digital rail operations,” emphasizes Federal Councilor Daniel Schmid.
Due to the lack of recording systems, checks are currently either not carried out at all or carried out insufficiently. This prevents the labor inspectorates from effectively implementing the legal provisions in accordance with Section 217 of the Railway Act for monitoring and enforcing the working, driving and rest times of train drivers. Based on the motion for a resolution supported by all parties, SPÖ Federal Councilor Daniel Schmid calls on the federal government to examine as soon as possible whether a study can develop solutions on how digital recordings should be made possible 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 fall, because after all it is about safety in rail traffic,” said SPÖ Federal Councilor Daniel Schmid. (End) sd/pok
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