Transport: 7 out of 10 women harassed in the workplace. Trade union (ETF): “A structural problem”

Brussels – More than seven out of ten women are harassed in the workplace. This is the bleak picture highlighted by the European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF). The pan-European trade union, which represents workers from the railways, aviation, public transport, and maritime sectors, will present the official survey results  tomorrow, 30 September. The occasion will be the seminar “Transporting Respect – Combating Gender-Based Violence at Work” in Amsterdam.

The ETF surveyed 1,071 women from 24 European countries. The female workers interviewees described a very similar scenario of machismo and abuse. The statistics are overwhelming: out of 1,071 female workers, 772 claim to have been abused during working hours.

Violence occurred, in most cases, by transport users (56 per cent). The disturbing fact, however, is that the remaining 41 per cent claimed to have been abused by colleagues. The forms of violence considered were verbal abuse, threats, intimidation, sexual harassment, spitting, and online violence.

The ETF general secretary, Livia Spera, commented on the research: 
“These figures expose the harsh reality for women transport workers across Europe. Violence and harassment are not isolated incidents. They are a structural problem in our industry. It is the employers’ responsibility to guarantee safe workplaces free from any form of violence.”

It is worth noting that the sector in question is strongly male-dominated. A figure from 2017, but still relevant to the situation, shows that only 22 per cent of workers are women. The imbalance becomes even greater when analysed in the road transport segment: here, only 14 per cent of employees are female. 

The difficulty in guaranteeing operator safety is made clear by the numbers. Employees in the transport sector, including men, in Italy report around 7,000 incidents of violence each year. According to the European Working Conditions Telephone Survey 2021 (EWCTS), employees in direct contact with the public, such as those in the transport sector, are twice as likely to suffer adverse social behaviour in the workplace, including verbal abuse or threats. Women are twice as likely to be victims of these incidents as men. 

The trade union has committed itself to addressing the issue. Tomorrow, in Amsterdam, in front of an audience of workers, Vera Gheno, a renowned Hungarian-Italian linguist, will speak, highlighting the role of words in shaping social change. A symbolic gesture to make all members aware of the correct use of non-violent language.