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Women

Advocating for equal rights, representation and opportunities for women.

We're prioritising women’s visibility, activism and leadership in an industry where women are under-represented and men’s needs are still the default.

 

By providing a safe space for women transport workers to be heard, they can collectively shape trade union, industry and government priorities to include their needs... needs that are so often overlooked in research, policy, planning, industry development and monitoring.

ISSUES

The transport industry is unequal and stubbornly viewed by some as no place for women, where myths and stereotypes about women’s suitability for many transport jobs still persist today. Entrenched industry culture, priorities and practices ensure significant barriers remain to women’s recruitment, retention, promotion, safety, dignity and respect in jobs traditionally viewed as ‘men’s work’ – often the highest paid and most secure jobs in transport.

The issues of most importance to women transport workers are still very under-represented in transport decision making at all levels. The impacts are wide reaching and include fundamental human rights violations. Issues like lack of safe access to clean toilets; gender-based violence and harassment from the public, supervisors and managers, the police and other authorities; uniforms, PPE and equipment designed for men’s bodies; over-representation in informal work with a lack of social protection; concentration in the types of work being decimated by automation and digitalisation; work design that does not recognise the disproportionate caring responsibilities faced by women. Women’s invisibility as transport workers is also evident through a persistent lack of gendered statistics, research, gender impact assessments and gender-responsive economic stimulus.

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WHAT WE DO

From campaigning for sanitation rights to implementing a global women’s advocacy programme, the women transport workers committee is committed to a gender-equal new normal across the transport industry. In the face of attacks on women’s rights around the world, disproportionate impacts of COVID-19 and austerity measures on women, and an industry that remains highly gendered, together we are bringing a collective voice of women transport workers to union, national, sectoral and international decision making spaces. We are challenging entrenched discriminatory norms by supporting women to exercise their power and win their rights.

Together we are making a difference, and changing the lives of women workers around the world.

WHERE WE FOCUS

We have 2 strategic focus areas for women transport workers, determined by women union activists and leaders representing every part of the transport industry around the world:

Ending gender-based violence in transport workplaces - We're supporting transport unions to drive change across internal, government, employer and workplace levels through the first ever international law on violence at work, building women’s workplace advocacy, and exposing the impact of domestic violence on workplaces.

Ending the segregation of work based on gender - We're bringing together the experiences of women to make the causes and effects of gender segregation visible, which leave women excluded from some of the best jobs in the industry, and forced into the lowest paid and most insecure work. Women transport workers and potential transport workers deserve a gender-equal new normal. #ThisIsOurWorldToo

ON THE GROUND
The latest news on the issues affecting us all, and the actions we’re taking to improve our workers' lives and futures.
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OUR PEOPLE

We believe that the best way to achieve gender equality in the transport industry is to increase safe spaces for women, building women’s workplace and union activism and leadership around the things that matter most to women transport workers. We work with women leaders at all levels, with male allies, and through feminist union and community alliances nationally and internationally.

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WOMEN'S OFFICER

Jodi Evans

 

DEPUTY WOMEN'S OFFICER

Claire Clarke

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SECTION COMMITTEE

Diana Holland

UNITE
,
Great Britain
Chair

Mich-Elle Myers

MUA
,
Australia
Vice Chair
Africa

Anika Manavi

SYNTRAPAL
,
Togo
Regional representative

Maryam Jummai Bello Yassin

NURTW
,
Nigeria
Regional representative

Wendy Mwaonanji Kavolo

RWUM
,
Malawi
Regional representative
Arab World
Asia/Pacific

Mich-Elle Myers

MUA
,
Australia
Vice Chair

Heity Ariaty (until retirement 2019 end) then Tina Agustien 2020-Congress

SPKA
,
Indonesia
Regional representative

Enktugs Bat-Erdene

FMRWU
,
Mongolia
Regional representative

Sheela Naikwade

MSTKS
,
India
Women Transport Workers’ Representative
Europe

Nuria Belenguer

UGT
,
Spain
Regional representative

Susanne Gallhagen

Kommunal
,
Sweden
Regional representative

Diana Holland

UNITE
,
Great Britain
Chair

Maya Schwiegershausen-Güth

Ver.di
,
Germany
Regional representative

Madlen Yordanova

FTTUB
,
Bulgaria
Regional representative
Latin America/Caribbean

Alma Teresa Gonzalez

ATM
,
Mexico
Regional representative

Laura Cordoba

FNTCOTAC
,
Argentina
Regional representative

Dionne Howard

BWU
,
Barbados
Regional representative
North America

Sara Gonzalez

IAM
,
United States of America
Regional Representatives

Joy Thomson

CMSG
,
Canada
Regional Representatives

Leslie Dias

UNIFOR
,
Canada
Regional Representatives
Section representatives

Dorsaf Saihi

FNT
,
Tunisia
Civil Aviation

Monique Verbeeck

BTB
,
Belgium
Dockers

Sylvie Roux

CFDT
,
France
Fisheries

Valerie Latron

CFDT
,
France
Inland Navigation

Simi Lalsingh

NFIR
,
India
Railway Workers

Lena Dyring

NSU
,
Norway
Seafarers

Praveena Singh

AIRF
,
India
Tourism Services
Executive Board women regional representatives

Juliana Mpanduji

COTWU (T)
,
Tanzania
Africa

Meryem Halouani

UMT
,
Morocco
Executive Board women regional representatives

Mary Liew

SMOU
,
Singapore
Executive Board women regional representatives

Valerie Latron

CFDT
,
France
Inland Navigation

Janaina Fernandes

FNTF
,
Brazil
Executive Board women regional representatives

Terri Mast

ILWU
,
United States of America
Chair
Young women transport workers’ representative

Jasmin Labarda

AMOSUP
,
Philippines
Women Transport Workers’ Representative