Swedish train operator gives in to skirt-wearing drivers

STOCKHOLM, Sweden, June 10 (UPI) -- A Swedish train company has given in to the dress-code demands of male drivers who donned skirts to protest a ban on shorts.

Tomas Hedenius, head of communications at train operator Arriva, said the Stockholm service has decided to allow drivers to wear shorts after male drivers protested a ban by wearing skirts, which the dress code allowed, The Local.se reported Monday.

"We noticed that a lot of our staff members see this as an important issue, so we have decided to give them what they want, so there will be shorts soon on the Roslagsbanen line," Hedenius said. "I am not sure when exactly this will come into place, but we will have a discussion with the union this week."

Martin Akersten, one of the 13 male drivers to don skirts to protest the dress code, said the temperatures in the cabins of the vintage railcars are generally around 95 degrees, making long pants an uncomfortable choice.

"That's fantastic news! This means the publicity helped," Akersten said of the ban being lifted. "I'm not going to miss the skirt though. I like shorts -- that's the whole reason I started this thing."