Coach drivers defend minimum resting periods[fr][de] 

An EU legal requirement that all drivers involved in occasional international coach tours take a weekly rest after working for six consecutive days is essential for road safety, transport trade unions, represented by the European Transport Workers' Federation (ETF), insisted in a statement on 11 February. 

The declaration came in retaliation to recent demands by transport managers and drivers, represented by the International Road Transport Union (IRU), to reintroduce a 12-day derogation that existed before new legislation was introduced in 2006 (EurActiv 03/02/06).

According to the IRU, the halving, since April 2007, of the maximum number of working days that drivers can carry out in a row is threatening the future of coach tourism in Europe. The association is attempting to convince EU Transport Commissioner Jacques Barrot, member states and the European Parliament to re-introduce exemption as soon as possible. "Every day that passes is deepening the crisis in our industry and multiplying the difficulties that we face as operators and that our drivers have to cope with on the road," said IRU Vice President Graham Smith. 

"Coach tour costs have risen by up to 30% and profit margins have declined by 25–30%," claims an IRU study, explaining that most European coach holidays last longer than six days and that the new law means operators are forced to hire local drivers abroad or send a second company driver to take over the driving, which entails substantial additional costs.

But ETF political secretary for the road section Beatrice Hertogs told EurActiv that the IRU's move to reintroduce the 12-day exemption is a "big mistake". "We could have imagined some changes if it had been discussed via the social dialogue. Maybe seven days instead of six. But the reintroduction of the 12 days is absolutely impossible," she said, adding: "It has proven to be bad for the health and safety of bus drivers, passengers and other road users and it disrupts the work-life balance of drivers." 

Nevertheless, the European Parliament looks as though it may side with employers in this case. In an own-initiative report on a "renewed EU tourism policy", adopted in November 2007, MEPs underlined the "benefits of coach holidays for tourists with lower incomes and for the development of tourism in regions which are not serviced by regional airports or railways," calling on the Commission to examine the possibility of reintroducing the 12-day derogation for round trips.

According to his spokespersons' service, Commissioner Barrot will raise the issue with EU transport ministers at the next Council (likely to be in April) in order to hear their views on the matter. In the meantime, the Commission says it is monitoring the effects of the removal of the 12-day rule "from both an economic and safety point of view" and will consider whether action is needed based on the results of this investigation.