Our core values are to promote inclusion, tolerance and equality throughout the rail industry.

Women in Community Rail was created to improve diversity in the community rail sector of the rail industry and to act as a voice to encourage a wider representation of women and diverse groups throughout the community rail world. Acting as a sister group to Women in Rail this is being  achieved through providing networking opportunities and support for all, including men and women within the sector, encourage undertakings and stakeholders to adopt diversity as a business strategy and devising initiatives aimed at positioning rail as an attractive career choice for young people, and ethnic minority groups.

The membership of WiCR currently includes representatives from a wide range of stakeholders across the UK rail industry including TOC’s, Local Authorities, Community Rail Network, Community Rail Partnership representatives and Community Rail Officers.

Background

An inaugural meeting was held on January 22^nd 2016 with stakeholders from across the rail industry to discuss ideas on how to deliver the following objectives.

• Become recognised as a strategic player across the rail industry and an important consultee
• Share knowledge and best practice to encourage gender balance and minority groups representation
• Create a mentoring/ networking mechanism for all colleagues throughout the industry
• Increase inclusivity within the community rail world
• Encourage younger people to get involved in community rail via our Journey through community rail videos
• Share best practice across the wider industry and business sector
• Encourage innovation and a can do attitude

EDI

What does it mean? And, more to the point, what does it mean to WiCR?

Embedded in all aspects of our work is our commitment to achieving and maintaining Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at every level of Community Rail.

Equality

Under the terms of the Equality Act of 2010 it is illegal to discriminate against anyone on grounds of their ‘protected characteristics’. They are: age, disability, pregnancy and maternity, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and religious belief.

Our aims:

I)  To work towards achieving equality of opportunity across the whole spectrum of Community Rail.
2)  To challenge and expose direct or indirect discrimination.

Diversity

In order to reflect the diverse composition of the general population, and to rectify any present or future skills shortage, it is imperative to:
1)  Address issues of age, gender and ethnicity imbalance in the workplace.
2)  Recruit and retain a workforce which represents all sections of society.

Our Aims
1)  To encourage applications from currently under-represented groups-e.g. school and college leavers, women of all ages, members of all races, faiths and cultures-to join Community Rail at all levels and in all areas,
2)  To not only recruit them but also to provide on-going support via our training programme and mentoring network.

Inclusion

It is wholly unacceptable that anyone should be marginalised, denied access to opportunities and resources, or subjected to exclusion on grounds of their perceived ‘otherness’. All colleagues, whether in paid or voluntary positions, must be treated with courtesy and respect, and valued for who they are and what they can offer.

Our Aims
1) Mindful of our fundamental principle of ‘Achieving  Change Together’, we believe our growing membership, and an increasing WiCR presence at Committee, CRP and Board level, will render us more influential as strategic players across Community Rail.
2) In accordance with the Code of Conduct drawn up by WiCR, and now widely adopted across the rail industry, we will challenge discriminatory or disrespectful speech and behaviour, whether directly observed or reported to us.