THE UK’s largest railway union has accused Network Rail of failing to provide female workers with safe toilet access.
RMT, which represents railway, maritime, and transport workers, also alleges that female workers have been left without access to sanitary waste bins.
In a survey of 100 overhead line workers, the union said that “only 3% always have access to a toilet within a reasonable distance and more than 72% rarely or never have access”.
A total of 97% said they must rely on public toilets in petrol stations or fast food sites, while more than 71% said they are never provided with clean and private washing or changing facilities.
One employee described how a colleague was allegedly given inadequate alternatives to toilet access.
The employee said: “One got given a Shewee and mini tent — the company is a joke.”
One worker explained a lack of access to sanitary waste bins, saying that “it’s quite literally impossible to go to the toilet unless it’s in a shop or restaurant”.
Some testimonies highlighted that employees have been “deliberately restricting fluid intake,” the union said.
It stated: “A total of 68% reported health problems such as dehydration, infections and fatigue that they believe are linked to poor welfare.”
Eddie Dempsey, RMT general secretary, declared that “women working on our railroads are being failed every day.”
He said: “No worker should have to limit water intake or hunt for a public toilet in the middle of the night.
“These failures break the law, put people at risk and they strip our members of their most basic dignity.”
