Workers with disabilities exist across the railway sector in every country globally. Every day, they go to work and support the running of vital public and commercial services which help to move the world. Yet with an overwhelming lack of visibility, the contribution of these workers – and the additional barriers they face compared to non-disabled colleagues – too often go unrecognised. This is fundamentally a matter of social justice and a core concern for the labour movement.
At the last Railway Section Conference, held in March 2023 in Johannesburg, ITF- affiliated unions adopted a landmark resolution on the rights of disabled railway workers. Following Johannesburg, the ITF has organised these unions together in a Railway Affiliate Network on Disability, linked to the Railway Section Steering Committee and Global Taskforce, to share their experiences, oversee the implementation of the Conference resolution and act as a sounding board for globalising such initiatives. Under the mandate of the resolution, the ITF has created this Railway Workers Disability Charter to outline the key principles we want to see in the railway sector worldwide
