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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 two 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
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.
We're driving change
TRANSPORT CONNECTS US
Explore Resources
Resources

Congress Vision and Resolutions 2024-2029

We set out our 2024-2029 vision for ‘Transport Workers Moving the World Forward’. These are our demands and strategy to transform the transport industry, to create a safer, fairer and more sustainable
Resources

ITF Women: 25 years of collective strength

2023 marked the 25th anniversary of the ITF Women Transport Workers' Committee. This milestone was celebrated at the Women Transport Workers’ Conference in Saly, Senegal, in September 2023. Delegates
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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ACTING WOMEN'S OFFICER

Claire Clarke

 

DEPUTY WOMEN'S OFFICER

 

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SECTION COMMITTEE

Meryem Halouani

UMT
,
Morocco
Chair

Anika Manavi

SYNTRAPAL
,
Togo
Vice Chair

Jennifer Murray

Unifor
,
Canada
Vice Chair

Mich-Elle Myers

MUA
,
Australia
Vice Chair
Africa

Anika Manavi

SYNTRAPAL
,
Togo
Regional representative

Elgiva Bernice Baptista

NATAU
,
Namibia
Regional representative

Morrine Mangoja

KHAWU
,
Kenya
Regional representative
Arab World

Mariam Horchani

FNT
,
Tunisia
Regional representative
Asia/Pacific

Enktugs Bat-Erdene

FMRWU
,
Mongolia
Regional representative

Jasmin Labarda

AMOSUP
,
Philippines
Regional representative

Mich-Elle Myers

MUA
,
Australia
Regional representative

Sheela Naikwade

MSTKS
,
India
Regional representative
Europe

Hülya Grünefeld

ver.di
,
Germany
Regional representative

Avital Shapira-Shabirow

Histradut
,
Israel
Regional representative

Vana Bosto

SUC
,
Croatia
Regional representative

Stephanie Vanden Eede

BTB
,
Belgium
Regional representative

Cathrine Sæther Ertsås

Fagforbundet
,
Norway
Regional representative

Balvinder Bir

UNITE
,
Great Britain
Regional representative
Latin America

Cristina Sánchez Pavón

STLTRMAS
,
Mexico
Regional representative

Karina Benemérito

UF
,
Argentina
Regional representative

Luz Marina Peña Quitián

SNTT
,
Colombia
Regional representative
North America/Caribbean

Jennifer Murray

Unifor
,
Canada
Regional representative

Julie Frietchen

IAM
,
United States of America
Regional representative

Lenna Phenix

Teamsters
,
Canada
Regional representative

Tami Ray

BIU
,
Bermuda
Regional representative
Section representatives

Daniela Modonesi

FILT-CGIL
,
Italy
Civil Aviation

Jessica Isbister

ILWU
,
Canada
Dockers

Simi Lalsingh

NFIR
,
India
Railway Workers

Glenda Frances Ono

WUSI
,
Solomon Islands
Fisheries

Olga Losinskaya

ver.di
,
Germany
Inland Navigation

Rute Caires

CNTTL
,
Brazil
Urban Transport

Lorena Pintor Silva

SINDMAR
,
Brazil
Seafarers

Karina Moyano

FNTCOTAC
,
Argentina
Road Transport

Praveena Singh

AIRF
,
India
Tourism
Executive Board women regional representatives

Marian Atuguba

MDU
,
Ghana
Africa

Meryem Halouani

UMT
,
Morocco
Arab World

Mary Liew

SMOU
,
Singapore
Asia/Pacific

Janaina Fernandes

FNTF
,
Brazil
Latin America

Sara Tripodi

FILT-CGIL
,
Italy
Europe

Wendy Morse

ALPA
,
United States of America
North America/Caribbean
Young women transport workers’ representative

Pradita Ningrum

SPKA
,
Indonesia
WOMEN MEMBERS OF THE ITF EXECUTIVE BOARD

Joelle Mputu

SSTCC
,
Democratic Republic of Congo

Mariama Diallo

FT/UDTS
,
Senegal

Annie Newman

E tū
,
New Zealand

Celine Ruffie

FGTE-CFDT
,
France

Christine Behle

ver.di
,
Germany

Helena Svobodová

OSZ, Czechia

Sharon Graham

UNITE
,
Great Britain

Lana Payne

Unifor
,
Canada

Sara Nelson

AFA-CWA
,
United States of America

Preeti Singh

AIRF
,
India

Nice Amon Mwansasu

COTWU T
,
Tanzania