Two years ago, the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER) took an important step by signing the autonomous agreement on Women in Rail with the European Transport Workers' Federation (ETF). This landmark agreement, which aims to promote women's employment in the sector, has resulted in 91.5% of CER's EU member companies' employees being covered by a comprehensive gender equality policy.
The pioneering agreement, the first of its kind in the EU, includes eight key policy measures to attract more women to the rail sector and ensure their protection and equal treatment in the workplace. Discussing the progress made and future strategies, the Women in Rail Agreement and its follow-up activities were a key topic at the annual plenary meeting of the Railway Sector Social Dialogue Committee, held in Brussels on 24 November.
While women currently make up just over 21% of the railway workforce, the sector aims to improve this ratio across different professional categories significantly. CER members have actively implemented concrete policies and measures to create a more diverse and inclusive workplace, recognizing the immense benefits this brings to all employees.
Alberto Mazzola, Executive Director of CER, emphasized: “Increased diversity and gender equality is of paramount importance to the railway sector, and this is clearly shown by the high level of implementation of the Women in Rail agreement within our membership. We look forward to building upon this groundbreaking initiative to achieve further progress and reinforce the essential role of women in our sector.”
