SNCF offers menstrual panties to freight drivers and causes an uproar

Published on May 18, 2022 at 11:55 am

Stay seven to eight hours with the same sanitary protection when they have their period and relieve themselves between two cars when the train is at a standstill. This is what freight drivers who work on the SNCF network have to endure. A minority compared to their male colleagues (they are 394 women against 12,530 men), these railway workers have suffered for years from the lack of toilets in the freight trains they drive.

Read also >> Hygienic precariousness, the main attack on the dignity of women for half of French women

An experiment conducted with a handful of female drivers

A recurring problem that women have repeatedly brought up with the direction of the station. To remedy this, the « mixed rail » service has recently had an idea for the least controversial. In an email sent mid-April to a handful of conducting the service in charge of gender equality within the railway undertaking their proposed to participate in an experiment: testing for six months a washable menstrual panty.

“Le Parisien”, which obtained the famous email, reports that the latter praises the menstrual panties, explaining that it “combined ecological advantage, safe use and practicality” because “it can be kept for several hours”.

 » It does not go through  »

Initially sent to three « volunteer » railway workers who were offered three free pants, the email was quickly read by all the drivers and by representatives of the CGT.

 » It does not go through ! We have been fighting for twenty years for decent working conditions, in particular access to dedicated toilets and sufficient break times. And the box gives us this kind of answer: put on your panties and you keep them on for 8 hours! “So protests a union representative quoted by” Le Parisien “.

“The demand for access to toilets dates back to the arrival of women in these professions. The subject has been on the table for twenty years. And still nothing, it’s very shocking! And then they say they want to feminize the trades, ”said Fabienne, another freight driver in the daily newspaper. And his colleague Maryse added: “Finally, they ask women who join the SNCF to become men and to adopt the constraints, including those of going to pee like them! »

SNCF reacts to the controversy

Following the publication of the article « Parisian », Anne-Sophie Nomblot, network SNCF president Mixed responded on Twitter, explaining regret « unfair presentation by an article this morning of an experiment conducted by the SNCF Mixed benefit of female drivers.

“In 2021, interviews were conducted with ten Freight female drivers (out of 30) to discuss the subject of access to toilets, identified as a major problem. In addressing the issue of health, the subject of rules came quickly in the discussion, « says Anne-Sophie Nomblot, adding that with the lack of sanitation in freight trains, » menstrual panties emerged as a interesting alternative.  » Currently being tested by four volunteer drivers, they cannot “fix all the problems”. “We’ll see if it’s a good idea, a problem can have several solutions. »

Among these, Anne-Sophie Nomblot evokes “a mapping and inventory of toilets throughout the territory” and envisages “the replacement of key locks in toilets with badge readers”.