Singapore Airlines will no longer fire pregnant cabin crew members

Singapore Airlines has finally changed its problematic policy of terminating pregnant cabin crew members. The airline has announced that it will no longer terminate cabin crew who become parents due to a labour shortage in the aviation industry.

The company clarified that the cabin crew “may choose to work in a temporary ground attachment” during their pregnancy in response to a Strait Times report.

Before, according to company policy, any member of the flight crew who disclosed their pregnancy to the authorities was placed on unpaid leave and was required to resign upon the birth of the child.

The women were reportedly not even permitted to perform any preliminary work for the airline, and if they wanted to resume their employment following the birth, they had to file a new application to the company.

Since the airline’s founding, the rule has not changed, and even in 2010, they came under harsh criticism from gender equality organizations around the world for upholding the “archaic” rules.

However, because of the labour scarcity brought on by the COVID-19 epidemic, the situation has significantly changed. The new regulations, which took effect on July 15, will allow women to return to work after giving birth and to receive an adequate amount of maternity leave.

According to the airline’s official statement, under the new regulations, “ground placements for pregnant cabin crew last for at least three months and as long as nine months.”

One area of disagreement remains: whether or not the cabin crew would be allowed to apply for ground staff jobs while pregnant and whether they will still be required to take unpaid leave if they want a cabin position.

Despite women’s rights groups campaigning against the “unfair and discriminatory” rules, Singapore Airlines is one of the last airlines in the region to make the switch. Qatar Airways repealed a policy that allowed cabin crew to be fired if they became pregnant within five years of employment in 2015.

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