French bus drivers wear skirts to protest shorts ban
CFDT Semitan shared this image on Twitter to help raise awareness. Image: Twitter/@CfdtSemitan
Bus drivers in Nantes, France began a protest by wearing some non-regulation clothing to work, due to what they believe are unfair regulations.
These French men came to work wearing skirts as a form of protest against their company’s ban on wearing shorts during an ongoing heatwave in France, according to a report on Presse Océan via The Connexion.
The male drivers are employees of bus and tram network Semitan. Earlier, the men had asked permission to wear bermudes, pantacourt or shorts to work, so they could cope with temperatures that reached well above 30 degrees Celsius during their shifts. They were not given permission and were left with no other choice but to make a point.
According to the company’s rulebook, the wearing of skirts were allowed, so around half a dozen male drivers wore skirts to work to make a point that banning shorts while allowing skirts was “discrimination.”
Two of the skirt-wearing protesters, Gabriel Magner and Didier Sauvetre, were part of the French Democratic Confederation of Labour or CFDT (Confédération française démocratique du travail). Magner stepped forward to air out complaints on behalf of the group.
“The bosses’ offices at Semitan are air-conditioned and that’s not the case for the majority of vehicles,” Magner told Presse Océan. “It’s not acceptable. Spending more than seven hours in a vehicle at nearly 50C behind our windscreens is just not right. It’s unbearable.”
Magner also suggested that the company’s labor management could create heatwave plans when temperatures go above 30 degrees Celsius and staff would be allowed to wear shorts for the duration.
As of this writing, Semitan has not yet issued any statement about the protest. Alfred Bayle/JB
