EUROPE: Provisional agreement on a binding EU-level deal to promote the employment of women in the rail sector has been reached by the Community of European Railway & Infrastructure Companies, representing employers, and the European Transport Workers’ Federation, representing staff.
CER and ETF said the positive outcome reached on June 30 followed seven rounds of ‘intense’ negotiations.
The agreement aims to attract more women to the rail sector, give women more protection and guarantee equal treatment through general gender equality policy.
It would cover areas such as targets, balancing work and private life, promotion and career development, equal pay, health and safety and work environment and prevention of sexual harassment and sexism.
Both parties will now fine-tune the wording of the agreement, which will need to be approved by CER’s General Assembly in September and the ETF Railway Section in October. A signing ceremony would then take place later this year.
The last binding Article 155 Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union agreement in the context of the European Social Dialogue in the rail sector was 15 years ago, and covered working conditions for people involved in cross-border interoperable services.
