Singapore Airlines announced this week that its flight attendants will no longer be fired if they become pregnant, a long-standing disputed practice that involved the company doctor declaring pregnant women unfit to work on the flight.
Flight attendants who wanted to return to their post after giving birth had to reapply. 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 company statement. Pregnant flight attendants can apply to work temporarily on the ground for three to nine months during their pregnancy.
“The possibility of working temporarily in the field will depend on availability and if the person has the required skills,” according to the press release, adding that so far, all the flight attendants who have requested this temporary reassignment have been satisfied. Singapore Airlines had been in the crosshairs of women’s rights groups since 2010.
“Great step forward”
“This is a big step forward,” said Corinna Lim, leader of the women’s association for action and research (Aware), who recalls that the previous situation was “discriminatory and sexist.”
“We are surprised that SIA (Singapore Airlines) has continued for so long, particularly after Aware and others publicly questioned the practice, as soon as we learned about it in 2010,” he added. According to her, the company still does not go far enough and future stewardesses should automatically have a place on the ground, without having to ask for it.
Source: BFM TV
