2015: ASLEF Equality Charter

The ASLEF Charter underpins the union’s industrial strategy and lists the conditions that ASLEF strives for across the railway.

Following a list of action points from the 2014 joint equalities meeting, March 2015 saw the union publish its first Equality Charter. The Equality Charter was produced to be an addition to the main ASLEF Charter, outlining the ways in which the union will promote equality and diversity industrially.

The Chairs and Secretaries from each representative committee and the Retired Members Section discussed a set of principles and, after approval from the Executive Committee, all Company Council Secretaries were informed about its introduction.

The original charter read:

• That any decision made or policy agreed by ASLEF, either internally or externally will be done so ensuring there is no discrimination toward any member.
• To actively work with TOC’s and FOC’s to tackle the barriers that lead to the under-representation of those with protected characteristics within the industry.
• Develop and adopt diversity policies and practice which seek to change cultures and attitudes within the industry and of the ASLEF membership, Providing where appropriate training and education on equalities issues to achieve this.
• To actively work alongside the main and regional groups of the TUC, Labour Party, labour and trade union bodies, NGO’s and other like-minded organisations to promote and defend equality within society.

You can see the current version of the charter here.