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Singapore AirlinesPregnant flight attendants will no longer be fired
The airline has ended a practice that forced female employees expecting a child to reapply after giving birth.
Pregnant hostesses may request to work temporarily on the ground.
AFP
Singapore Airlines announced on Tuesday that its flight attendants will no longer be fired in the event of pregnancy. This long-standing disputed practice was for the airline doctor to declare expectant mothers unfit for in-flight labor. Hostesses who wanted to return to their position after giving birth had to apply again.
From now on, “all pregnant crew members will have maternity leave and will be able to return to their position in the cabin at the end of their maternity leave”, according to a statement from the company to AFP. Pregnant hostesses may request to work temporarily on the ground for three to nine months during their pregnancy.
“The ability to work temporarily on the ground will depend on availability and whether the person has the required skills,” the statement said. The text specifies that so far, all the hostesses who have requested this temporary reassignment have obtained satisfaction.
Singapore Airlines had been in the crosshairs of women’s rights groups since 2010. “This is a major step forward,” welcomed Corinna Lim, a leader of the Women’s Association for Action and Research (Aware), who recalls that the previous situation was “discriminatory and sexist”. According to her, the company does not yet go far enough and the hostesses-to-be mothers should automatically have a position on the ground, without having to ask for it.
(AFP)