Male train drivers wear skirts after shorts ban

It gets warm working on the railways around Stockholm, Sweden, in the summer and in recent weeks male employees have been revolting against a ban on shorts by going to work clad in skirts. "Of course people stare at you a little when you are on the platform, but you just have to put up with it," train driver Martin Åkersten said.

Åkersten is one of a group of 13 male employees who have been wearing skirts in order to keep cool while working the Roslagsbanan commuter train services. "It can be over 35 degrees Celsius in the train cab on hot summer days," he said. Åkersten's employers Arriva have meanwhile responded positively to the move and have given their approval to the men in skirts.



"To say anything else would be discrimination," communications head Thomas Hedenius said. The company's uniform regulations state skirts or long trousers and the male drivers would prefer to be able to wear shorts. At a staff meeting in the autumn the Arriva hierarchy however reiterated the uniform regulations and told the drivers that shorts were not acceptable.

Hedenius explained that the idea behind the regulations is that staff should look neat and tidy, claiming that shorts appeared "more relaxed" than a skirt. The firm has recently taken over the running of the Roslagsbanan service and Hedenius said that there is a further meeting arranged for September where the issue of uniforms will be back on the agenda.