No tea for me thanks

A motion from train drivers? union calling for ?safe fully functioning toilets and washing facilities, as well as the ability to access them? for transport workers and those working in logistics and freight.

Aslef noted ?with alarm that nearly 70 per cent of drivers who responded said their employer does not provide safe, clean, accessible toilets that they can easily use at work, and nearly 80 per cent said they were expected to work over four hours before having a suitable break.

?This leads to drivers deliberately dehydrating or using make-shift methods to relieve themselves.? The motion continued to discuss long-term health issues that could be caused by not having access to a decent toilet.

The motion called for a discussion with all unions involved on ?the issue of welfare facilities and breaks, building on the TUC?s current campaign; and to lobby the government to deliver the promised health and safety review as part of the make work pay agenda.?

The motion was seconded by Unite bus driver Taj Salam.

He stressed that ?this important motion covers all freight and transportation workers who share the same indignities.

?We are a quarter of the way into the 21^st century, yet tens of thousands of bus drivers throughout the UK face 19^th century squalor ? without access to clean, safe, functioning toilets.?

He compared the ease of being in a conference hall with adequate facilities to the dearth facing transport workers.

?This is no small point,? he said. ?At any time during this Congress, we can get up and use the facilities. You will not have to sit in your seat, hoping you can make it to the end.

You will not have to make the choice not to take a drink. Yet this is part of the daily life of bus workers.?

He continued that ?No worker in the 21^st century should be expected to carry out their role without access to the most basic facilities. The lack of access to this most basic thing not only puts the driver of a bus at risk. It puts passengers and the public at risk too.?

This was also true for commercial lorry drivers, with plans for proper facilities included at the planning stages of new developments and coordination on the strategic road network to ensure proper coverage of facilities. Existing park-and-ride facilities should also be used as additional parking areas.

Gender issue

Taj also noted that the lack of proper facilities is a gender issue.

?Facilities for women drivers range all the way from extreme poor to non-existent,? he said. There is still a shortage of drivers in the UK and the lack of dignity at work is a barrier to diversity and recruitment.

?All transport workers deserve to be treated with dignity and respect ? no matter if they?re behind the controls of a train or the wheel of a bus or lorry.

Taj concluded his speech by saying, ?Coordination between us on the question of basic dignity and facilities would have a major impact on workers across freight and passenger industries.

?That would be an important starting point, which ends with our long-term vision of a just transition and a truly integrated transport system.?

The motion was carried.

By Amanda Campbell

Photo by Mark Thomas