We’re taking the next step in our Stronger Together campaign against gender-based violence

Our campaign Stronger together. Ending violence against women transport workers aims to raise awareness of gender-based violence in transport, and help trade unions and employers develop better policies that address the issue at company level. At the ETF Fair Transport demonstration in Brussels on 27 March, transport workers from all over the Europe left their mark on a banner in support of our Stronger Together campaign.

In cooperation with the reputable international researcher Dr Jane Pillinger, we have developed the following campaign materials:

• A guidance document for social partners at company and sector level, which includes ten things to do to prevent violence against women workers in transport.
• A model policy which sets out the procedures for making and handling complaints, the role played by workplace representatives, and includes training and awareness raising about the policy, including its implementation. It is based on best practice approaches, takes into account the specific work situations that expose women transport workers to risks of violence and encourages the active involvement of everyone in the workplace.
• A campaign poster to display in workplaces and give a clear signal against gender-based violence.
• Graphics to promote the campaign on social media.

The materials can be downloaded on the ETF campaign webpage. To allow for a wide-spread use of the campaign materials, they are available in 11 languages, as follows:

• Bulgarian, Croatian, Dutch, English, Finish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Norwegian and Spanish

It is time now to act and take the campaign to the next level. The ETF Women’s Committee thus urges all ETF affiliated organisation to join the campaign and promote violence-free workplaces and fair jobs for women transport workers in Europe.

We urge all ETF affiliates:

• to join the ETF campaign Stronger Together. Ending violence against women transport workers and promote it in their companies and workplaces.
• to use the ETF campaign materials in order to raise continuous awareness on gender-based violence and harassment in your workplaces and companies.
• to discuss gender-based workplace violence at company level with management representatives taking as starting point the ETF guidance document for social partners.
• based on the ETF model policy, to put in place social partners’ policies meant to prevent, address and end violence and harassment against women in transport.

The campaign builds on the findings of the ETF survey on gender-based workplace violence in transport which revealed alarming incidents of violence against women transport workers by colleagues, managers and customers:

• 63% of the respondents did experience at least one recent act of violence.
• 25% of the respondents said that violence and harassment is a regular occurrence in the transport sector.
• 26% of the respondents considered violence and harassment to be ‘part of the job’ in transport.
• Many respondents reported about its devastating effects on their health and well-being and their diminished motivation to remain in their jobs.

For campaign updates, please follow us on the ETF Women’s Committee Facebook page and Twitter page.