Overview
- In a new RTBU report, 82% of transport workers said limited access to sanitary toilets undermines their dignity at work.
- In a survey of 821 members, almost three quarters reported health problems, with about one quarter suffering UTIs and some hospitalised with kidney infections, according to the union.
- Workers described risky coping tactics such as deliberately limiting fluids, delaying bathroom breaks, or using inappropriate locations when safe toilets were unavailable.
- Women recounted humiliating and unhygienic conditions, including being forced to justify toilet breaks over public radio, bleeding through clothes, carrying used period products, and taking contraception to skip periods.
- The union seeks an overhaul to ensure dedicated women’s toilets near worksites, sanitary bins at every location, safe well‑lit facilities, and access to breaks, noting NSW recently installed women’s toilets at a Parramatta interchange.