by Alejandro Martínez Treceño | Mar 8, 2021 | News
- In the last 10 years, the number of women train drivers has grown considerably.
- Reduced working hours, uniforms, breastfeeding and adaptation of the workplace are among the improvements to be implemented.
With slogans such as “for equality, full speed ahead”, “I want to be a train driver, not a princess” or “I am not brave, I am a train driver” … the collective of women train drivers, belonging to ALE, reaffirms the feelings of the collective in the run up to 8 March, International Women’s Day.
As an example, in Spain, women train drivers represent 4.5% of train driving staff, according to data collected by the Train Drivers’ Union. This translates into 260 female professionals out of a total of 5,600.
At first sight, this figure seems very low, as the incorporation of women in the railways, especially in driving, has been late and has had a very gradual impact. This is due to the fact that, at the beginning, the promotions of train drivers came from the military service, and it was not until the 80s that the incorporation of women in the railways was encouraged.
However, the figures are not bad if we consider that only 10 years ago, in 2011, the percentage of women train drivers was 1.73% (a total of 70). This 350% growth in just a decade shows the effort and initiatives of professional Unions of Train Drivers, together with the companies, are putting into practice to incorporate women into train driving.
The people responsible for Equality in our union affirm that “there has been a great advance in the incorporation of women. For out of 52 railway depots, spread throughout the territory, 44 of them already have women on the driving charts. This is almost more important than the overall number, as it helps to visualise and normalise the capacity of women driving of a train”.
ALE, as a trade union representing more than 40.000 train drivers among Europe, set itself the objective, a few years ago, of initiating actions to analyse the organisational structure of the sector. A programme carried out by women, from the point of view of women and the suitability of their needs in the performance of their work duties. With the aim of normalising the social conception of women in the railway sector, correcting possible gender deficiencies and increasing the incorporation of women in the profession.
As a result of various working groups organised by ALE member organizations, the first results were soon obtained. The issues raised by the women drivers revealed the rigidities of a system that is not “used” to female professionals.
The main shortcomings identified by the professionals were:
The scarce or non-existent adaptation of the workplace to maternity issues, both during pregnancy and breastfeeding. The difficult reduction of working hours to allow for family reconciliation, the lack of adaptation of the toilets to meet the needs of feminine hygiene. And also the lack of visualisation of women train drivers in the social imaginary.
The deficits were mainly due to the lack of a global and homogeneous strategy in all the management departments of the different companies. Each one addresses these requirements with its own solutions. In some cases this is satisfactory and in others it is not.
Curiosity on gender bias
In addition, one issue that attracted a lot of attention, raised by the train drivers in the working groups, was the uniforms provided. In the case of women train drivers (there is evidence that this is also the case in other professional groups), they are offered the possibility of requesting high heels and a choice between skirt and trousers.
The heel and skirt contravene normaly the Companies´ own self-protection and occupational risk prevention protocols. The work of the train driver requires getting on and off the train from the track (there may be more than one metre) with large slopes, walking on the stones of the track, accessing cabinets and chests that may be in the engine room or under the train, etc. As for the trousers, the women’s model is tight-fitting and has no pockets. Women train drivers cannot keep their access keys, the train controls for changing cabs, the key to open the lockers, or the pens needed to write down notifications from the control room.
This circumstance implies a gender bias, since in the case of women, image is prioritised over utility and comfort, due to the stereotyped sociological use of women’s image.
Trying to change this, aims at favouring the entry of women train drivers, visualising their image and attracting them to the railway sector. Once this first part has been achieved, they should not be forced to leave driving to take up other jobs that are more conducive to reconciling family and professional life.
Despite these shortcomings, it can be said that the incorporation of women in driving and in the railway sector in general is progressing at full speed.
Undoubtedly, in order to achieve a better awareness in society of women as professional train drivers, we must be aware that the train on which you put your longings and emotions when you go on a journey… the train on which every morning, you catch up on your sleep… the train that fulfils your illusions by bringing you a visit from a loved one… and the train that, with relief, leaves you at home at the end of each long journey, is surely driven by a woman.
by Alejandro Martínez Treceño | Oct 30, 2020 | News
Violence at work is a recurrent problem that many of our trade union affiliates experience, more frequently in regional and local passenger transport.
The guidelines are an important step to equip our members with tools to address and, ideally, prevent violence against them in the first place.
As underlined in various occasions through a joint declaration of the social partners, the guidelines are a crucial instrument to support the right of workers to a safe and healthy workplace, in line with the EU Framework Directive on Occupational Safety and Health (OSH), the European pillar of social rights and, not least, at global level, the adopted ILO Convention 190 on violence and harassment.
The guidelines are still very much needed: despite the progressive increase in awareness and in the procedures available against violence and harassment at work, there has been an increase in violence and harassment of third parties at work in several sectors and in the EU Member States, and the lack of information and data is still to be regretted, which means that the figures may even be higher than expected. Therefore, as an important tool to counteract this situation, these Guidelines should be further disseminated and promoted at EU and especially national level, thus reaching out to workers on the ground, who are the actual or potential victims of aggressive behaviour, whether verbal, physical or psychological.
Today we are again participating, together with the other colleagues who are part of @CESI, in a symposium to share our point of view, our experience and to set the guidelines for the future.
No violence should be allowed. #NoViolenceAtWork #TrainDrivers
by Alejandro Martínez Treceño | Oct 1, 2020 | News
Once again, due to the global health situation, the ALE Board, which represents more than 45,000 train drivers throughout Europe, is meeting virtually to exchange experiences and situations and to draw up a roadmap based on the most sustainable and environmentally friendly means of transport, such as the railways, which should be one of the levers helping the economy to recover. To this end, and always based on safety of both train drivers and the rest of the train staff, as well as passengers, we work day by day for the opportunities that arise in these times we live in.
by Alejandro Martínez Treceño | Jun 15, 2020 | News
On 15 June 2020, the ALE became part of the GRB by unanimous vote of its members, as set out in its terms of reference.
This situation will make it possible to enrich, with the experience of European train drivers, the decisions taken in Europe in the field of railways.
https://grbrail.eu/
“The Group of Representative Bodies (GRB) is a grouping of railway associations in Europe with the role of supporting, in a transverse way, the rail sector’s input to the European Union Agency for Railways (ERA) work programme and its effect on safety and interoperability. Furthermore it plays a role in developing the activities associated with research, innovation and standardisation and therefore has links with European standardisation and research bodies and processes. GRB is formed from the associations that are named as “Representative Bodies”, comprising the companies making up the railway operating community and the supply and manufacturing industry. Together these companies are responsible for the design, construction, operation and maintenance of the railway system.”
by Alejandro Martínez Treceño | May 27, 2020 | News
27th Mai 2020
Yesterday afternoon a meeting of the ALE Board of Directors took place in an extraordinary way, due to the COVID-19 crisis, and was held for the first time virtually.
The President of ALE, Juan Jesús García Fraile, made a brief presentation of the most worrying issues for us as a professional union of train drivers in Europe and the path we have taken, based on safety, training, professionalism and employment, to get out of this pothole all together, but emphasizing and focusing on social, labour and economic rights of railway workers and in particular of train drivers.
Each member shared its particular situation with the entire Board of Directors, finding more common ground: the willingness of all of us, both at local and general level, to work side by side with organisations and institutions in order to guarantee the return to a safe and progressive railway operation, within the framework of quality employment and with the intention of continuing to provide an essential service to citizens, a commitment that all train drivers throughout Europe have amply demonstrated by carrying out their activity in the most difficult times, thus allowing for continuity in development and the adoption of measures that allow society to maintain a level, sometimes minimal, of guarantees of mobility, supply of essential goods and sustainability.
Given that we are at a critical time for the European railways due to the transposition of the 4th Railway Package and the pandemic that has ravaged the world, we see the need to repeat these meetings with the main representatives of European train drivers frequently in order to be able to check that the return to normality is being measured in each of the Member States and that nobody is being left behind as a result of interested acts to the detriment of the conditions of all our colleagues.
We hope that the light at the end of the tunnel will be translated into a short-term future in which rail transport is finally promoted as the backbone of the territory and as a sustainable means of bringing both people and goods into their homes in a safe and clean manner.
