On the 3rd, 4th and 5th of November, the “Rail Safety Days”, promoted by the ERA (European Railway Agency), were held in the Portuguese city of Porto.
The event was attended by numerous experts in the field, from all the railway institutions and organisations with relevance in Europe and related to Railway Safety, like Railway Undertakings, Infrastructure Managers, Suppliers, etc.
The European train drivers’ union, ALE, participated as one of the 4 commentators who intervened throughout the event after the rounds of presentations and made a final summary at the end of the conference. In addition to highlighting the value of the profession of train driver and its close relationship with Safety, a fundamental part of our interventions and demands in Europe, the importance of accompanying the Safety Culture in the railway sector with the application of a Just Culture, which really serves to make the system safer, generating a climate of trust when it is necessary to report incidents or events related to Safety without the fear of being punished or persecuted for it, was also highlighted. Drivers often feel that they are the last link in the safety chain, and sometimes the only link.
Train drivers were one of the main levers that served as an example of a group that is affected in a special way. For all these reasons, we will continue to highlight the professionalism of all our colleagues and the importance of developing a Justa Safety Culture and useful reporting tools, as a safe railway is an attractive railway for both workers and users. Professions such as ours are nourished by female train drivers who decide to join this beautiful profession because it is becoming more reliable every day.
ALE continues to be a benchmark for railway driving in Europe and from here we continue working to make the European railway a safer and more efficient railway, which serves as an element of recovery and fulfils its function as a backbone in line with respect for the environment.
The declaration of the year 2021 as the European Year of Railways has given rise to initiatives such as this one, where the European Commission has chartered this “Connecting Europe Express” to promote sustainable transport and attract more users to this means of transport.
ALE has participated in the Opening Ceremony and the departure event from the Oriente Station in Lisbon (Portugal) as well as its route to Spain, passing through Madrid and Irun with the border crossing in Hendaye, from where it continues its journey through France.
It is striking, and has been reported in several media, that this train runs along the same route as several trains (Lusitania, Surex, etc.) which were cancelled because of the pandemic and have not been restored.
It is also striking that the train was made up of several Talgo IV – 4B12 carriages, withdrawn from circulation months ago and, it seems, condemned to disappear after this short journey.
The implementation of initiatives such as this one should not only serve to connect cities, but also to connect people, to attract citizens to this means of transport and to generate employment in an eco-sustainable and environmentally friendly mode of transport such as the railway. Currently, Madrid and Lisbon are two major European capitals that are not connected by rail.
Meeting the objectives of the 2030 Agenda and the “modal shift to rail” will not be possible as long as a multitude of rail traffic continues without returning to our tracks throughout Europe.
The existing reality of our European rail network has also been highlighted, where the interoperability promoted by the 4th Railway Package is a chimera. Up to 3 different compositions have been necessary to be able to operate the Connecting Europe Express throughout the continent, a situation that even the European Commission’s own Commissioner for Transport, Adina Valean, referred to.
The promotion of Connecting, as a long-distance commercial service, is a reminder that there are still countries that have not yet liberalised their services in accordance with the European Directives and that there is a mismatch between the opening of the market in some countries and the same in their neighbours.
All of the above leads us to claim that there is a profound effect on all railway collectives, with special attention to that of train drivers, given the lack of traffic and a real commitment to the railway, despite the declaration of 2021 as the European year of our means of transport and the initiatives associated with it.
From ALE, we will continue to promote the generation of quality employment, under standards of Safety, Training and Professionalism, which will make this year a reality that is not only reflected on paper.
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.
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
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.
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.”
