No changing room at stations: Northern railway women workers demand changes in uniform

New Delhi: Women workers of northern railway have written to the Railway Board saying that given the lack of changing room for them at most stations, their uniform should be restricted to an apron which can be worn over their regular clothes.

Sunita Dhiman, General Secretary of the women's wing of Uttariya Railway Mazdoor Union (URMU) wrote to Railway Board Chairman Ashwani Lohani, requesting him to change their uniform, which is either a salwar-kameez or shirt and pant depending on the category of work. "There are no changing rooms for women staff at stations. We are just requesting railways to provide aprons for us which we can wear over our regular clothes. It will save us time as well. Also, the quality of the cloth supplied to us for our uniforms are transparent and of very poor quality. We can't even wear them for long," Dhiman told PTI.

In her letter, Dhiman has said 93 women work at Delhi Railway Station, New Delhi Railway station and Anand Vihar Terminal, and they have all written letters in support of the apron.

In fact, she said, women staffers from across northern railways have the same problem with the uniform. "We have attached a sample photo of the white apron with name and batch along with the letter so that they can get an idea about what kind of uniform we are comfortable in," Dhiman said.

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