The airline announced on Tuesday that its flight attendants will no longer be fired in the event of pregnancy, a long-standing disputed practice that involved the company’s doctor declaring expectant mothers unfit for in-flight work.
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 cabin duties at the end of their maternity leave“, according to a statement from the company to AFP.
Hostesses may request to work temporarily on the ground for three to nine months during their pregnancy. “The possibility of working temporarily on the ground will depend on availability and if the person has the required skills“, According to the press release, specifying that so far, all those 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” greeted AFP Corinna Lim, a leader of the association of women 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 when it first came to our attention in 2010.“, she added. 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.
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