On September 30, 2025, on the initiative of the Chairman of the FTUU and the Trade Union of Railwaymen and Transport Construction Workers of Ukraine Oleksiy SEMERUN' a working meeting was held with the Chairman of the Committee on Social Policy and Protection of Veterans' Rights, Member of Parliament Halynoiu TRETIAKOVOIU.
The purpose of the meeting was to deepen cooperation with the relevant parliamentary committee in the context of renewing the Federation's team and appointing its new executive secretary - Oleksandr SHUBIN, as well as coordinating joint actions to strengthen the protection of trade union members.
The discussion focused on topical issues of social policy, occupational safety, and future pension reform.
During the meeting, the Federation leader outlined the current state of the transport industry and the main problems that have become more acute for workers during martial law.
In turn, the chair of the parliamentary committee briefed the meeting participants on the committee's work in the first half of 2025 and outlined the main tasks for the second half of the year. Halynoiu TRETIAKOVOIU also reported on the preparation of a number of important social legislation projects, in particular on the safety and health of workers at work; on the standardization of special pensions, as well as other legislative initiatives aimed at reforming the pension system, social insurance, and labor legislation.
The Federation Chairman emphasized the need to increase the level of pension provision for transport industry employees, in particular through the development of professional non-state accumulative pension funds. He cited the example of the largest industry fund - PNPF Magistral, which operates within the Trade Union of Railwaymen and Transport Construction Workers of Ukraine and demonstrates an effective model of voluntary pension accumulation.
Critical infrastructure workers must be under enhanced state and social protection. Just last week, railway facilities in Chernihiv, Odesa, Konotop, and Shostka came under fire, and today, the Poltava locomotive depot and power supply line were targeted.
During the meeting, special attention was paid to the problems of social protection for employees of critical infrastructure facilities who suffered as a result of Russian shelling. Oleksiy Semerun emphasized that, on the initiative of the head of the primary trade union organization of railway workers of the Zaporizhzhia Railway Transport Directorate - Tetiany VERBOVETSKOI a number of difficulties have been identified with the implementation of the provisions of Law No. 2980 regarding the receipt of lump-sum payments by railway workers in the event of injury or death.
The problem, as noted, lies primarily in the overly complex bureaucratic procedures for confirming that the place of work or facility where the accident occurred is included in the Register of Critical Infrastructure Facilities maintained by the authorized state body. This is particularly acute in the case of rail and maritime transport companies, where employees are forced to prove their status.
The parties agreed to jointly develop proposals for the government to simplify workers' access to state-guaranteed payments and ensure real protection for those who work under constant threat.
During the meeting, they talked about ratifying and implementing the ILO MLC 2006 Convention—the Maritime Labor Convention, which sets international labor standards for seafarers.
Ukrainian seafarers: It is important for Ukraine to take a step towards European standards. The ILO MLC 2006 Convention is system-forming and defines minimum labour standards on board ships on international voyages. Currently, MLC 2006 has been ratified by 109 states, whose combined tonnage accounts for 96.6% of the world's merchant shipping tonnage. Given that the vast majority of Ukrainian seafarers work on ships flying foreign flags, the provisions of this Convention are already being used to protect the rights and legitimate interests of Ukrainian seafarers, even though it has not yet been ratified by Ukraine.
Together with Trade Union Marine Transport Workers’ we insist on the prompt adoption of relevant laws, as this will enable Ukrainian seafarers to enjoy social guarantees in line with European standards and strengthen Ukraine's position in the international transport market. This was reiterated during the meeting.
Based on the results, the parties agreed:
- establish regular exchanges of positions between the FTTU and the Verkhovna Rada Committee;
- jointly address issues concerning the rights and interests of workers in the industry;
- strengthen tripartite social dialogue and cooperation between its parties and Parliament.
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