The International Association of Public Transport (UITP) and the European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF) today (8 April) signed a landmark agreement to strengthen women’s employment in urban public transport.
In the presence of Isabelle Durant, Vice President of the European Parliament, UITP and ETF signed a series of joint recommendations aimed at increasing the share of female employees in urban public transport (who are particularly under-represented in leadership and technical positions), from the current average of 17.5% to at least 25% by 2020 and at least 40% by 2035.
The European social partners’ recommendations encourage public transport stakeholders to address the barriers to the sector faced by women (the most common of which are gender stereotypes) by: developing women-friendly recruitment, training and retention policies that offer clear objectives and development opportunities; offering variable and suitable working conditions for a better reconciliation of work and social life ; analysing the scale of the salary gap between men and women and tackling the effects of a masculine working culture.
“The signing of these joint recommendations is a landmark occasion in the development of women’s employment in urban public transport and will help the sector to catch up with other sectors in this respect. More women in typically male-dominated sectors generally improves working conditions for all and offers wider skill sets for employers,” said Nicolas Blain, Chair of the UITP EU-Committee.
“The European social partners appeal to all companies’ decision makers to invest more in policies that aid the development of women’s careers in both management and operations to avoid the ‘glass ceiling effect,” said Alain Sutour, Chairman of the ETF Urban Public Transport Committee. “Such policies should be guided by the principle of equal opportunities and ‘gender mainstreaming’”.
UITP and ETF (the European urban public transport social partners) will promote these joint recommendations and commit to monitoring their implementation. For more information visit the following link: /etf-3916.cfm
Note to Editors The International Association of Public Transport (UITP) is a passionate champion of sustainable urban mobility and is the only worldwide network to bring together all public transport stakeholders and all sustainable transport modes. We have 1,300 member companies giving access to 14,000 contacts from 92 countries. Our members are public transport authorities and operators, policy decision-makers, research institutes and the public transport supply and service industry. Visit our website www.uitp.org. Follow us on Twitter: @UITPpressoffice
Contact: Andrew Canning, Press & Media Manager, +32 2 663 66 39, andrew.canning@uitp.org Sylvie Cappaert-Blondelle, Communication Director, +32 2 661 31 91, sylvie.cappaert@uitp.org
The European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF) is a pan-European trade union organisation embracing 243 transport trade unions from the European Union, the European Economic Area and the Central and Eastern European countries. The ETF is the recognised Social Partner in seven European Sectoral Social Dialogue Committees and represents the interests of more than 2.5 million transport workers from 41 European countries vis-à-vis the European Institutions.
Contact: Sabine Trier, Deputy General Secretary, +32 2 285 4667, s.trier@etf-europe.org