Pregnant get fired from airlines
Fast-growing airlines Qatar and Emirates now has daily flights from Sweden . They provide a luxurious and modern look , but the view of women is ancient : female employees must , for example, to resign if they become pregnant.
Facts
Pregnancy grounds for termination
Emirates employees are entitled to take unpaid parental leave in a year when they have completed their first three-year contract . But anyone who becomes pregnant before three years have elapsed must resign and then reapply after her pregnancy, says Emirates TT .
Employees do not need to tell in advance if they plan to marry.
In Qatar Airways employee contract states that the employee must request permission from the company to marry , according to ITF in contact with employees and have seen their contracts.
If an employee becomes pregnant , she should announce Qatar Airways, which then has the right to terminate her employment from this date. Failing to inform the company of pregnancy is seen as a breach of contract. (TT)
Facts
Will not join unions
A large part of the employees of the airlines Emirates and Qatar are foreign workers. Emirates , for example, 55 Swedes employees in its cabin crew.
Gulf countries recruit guest workers from around the world, and common for these workers include that they have limited opportunities to join unions.
Oman , Bahrain and Kuwait allows unions , but not Qatar and the United Arab Emirates where airlines Qatar Airways , Emirates and Etihad are based .
Source: ITF (TT)
“If a crew member becomes pregnant during her first three-year contract , she must resign and can apply to rejoin after their pregnancy ,” confirms the Emirates in an email to TT.
The airlines in several Gulf countries deficiencies in the basic rights of the staff, considers trade union International Transport Workers’ Federation ( ITF) . It’s all about Qatar Airways , Emirates , Etihad and Oman Air. All the companies is that the staff at risk of being fired if they become pregnant , and at several of the companies have staff advise in advance if they should get married .
Oman Air has previously allowed foreign hostesses take a year of unpaid maternity leave. But in the new contracts by year-end, the airline changed its rules , says a flight attendant for TT .
” It’s okay to get married but we have to say to one month in advance. And from the beginning of the year have new employees who become pregnant to resign ,” said the flight attendant , who wishes to remain anonymous .
A friend of her recently got fired from his job at the airline Qatar Airways because she had married without notifying the company in advance , and did not even have time to close his bank account before she was deported .
” She got married during the holidays, and when the company came up with it , she got 24 hours to leave the country ,” said the stewardess .
How it is to work just for Qatar Airways were described in detail by anonymous current and former employees in an article in Expressen recently. Staff supervised , have a curfew from a particular time and may at any time be fired , and according to their contract , they should not get married during their first five years as a staff and could be fired if they become pregnant.
“Unfortunately true this picture in well with the sorrowful testimony we receive from current and former workers at Qatar Airways. Company forces in a brutal way their employees to follow the rules, contrary to international labor and human rights ,” said Gabriel Mocho , airport manager at ITF, which has contact with the flight attendants at the companies.
Qatar Airways is the worst in the entire airline industry, but also at the Emirates and Etihad , there are flaws, he believes.
” But giving employees something more freedom and monitors them not as hard as Qatar does, which closes bank accounts or withdraw staff visas ,” said Gabriel Mocho .
FROM THE HINDU (INDIA):
***AIRF leader mourned
Special Correspondent
201 words
28 February 2014
The Hindu
THINDU
English
(c) 2014 Kasturi & Sons Ltd
VISAKHAPATNAM,ANDHRA PRADESH East Coast Railway Shramik Union (ECoRSU) general secretary Ch. Gandhi and working president (central) D. Shaleel condoled the death of Umraomal Purohit, president of All India Railwaymen’s Federation (AIRF), who passed away in Mumbai in the early hours of Thursday. Mr. Gandhi, who is also assistant general secretary of AIRF, described Purohit as a ‘father figure of the Indian trade union movement’. Born on March 1, 1928, Umaraomal Purohit had joined Railway service as a station master at Jodhpur. He started as a primary member in the trade union movement and went on to become the president of the International Transport Federation (ITF) and made his mark in the international trade union movement. He was also a member of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), a unique opportunity given to an Indian trade union leader.
He had served as general secretary of Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS) for three decades consecutively and as president of AIRF since 1976 and led all six and the 7{+t}{+h}Central Pay Commissions. Mr. Gandhi said that the demise of Purohit was a setback to the trade union movements in India and abroad.
FROM THE HINDUSTAN TIMES:
***AIRF leader passes away
149 words
28 February 2014
Hindustan (Translated)
HINDUT
English
Copyright © 2014. Hindustan Media Ventures Limited.
NEW DELHI, Feb. 28 — The president of All India Railwaymen Federation (AIRF) Umraomal Purohit passed away on Feb. 27. Late Purohit born in 1928 in Jodhpur, Rajasthan had begun struggle for the employees as the general secretary of Western Railway Union at the age of 30 years.
After becoming the AIRF president in 1980, Purohit was twice made the president of International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) looking at his activity. On the death of Purohit, the general secretary of the union Shiv Gopal Mishra, S.K. Tyagi and D.N. Chaube have expressed deep grief.
Reference: Original article of this translated version is available at http://paper.hindustantimes.com/epaper/viewer.aspx [http://paper.hindustantimes.com/epaper/viewer.aspx]; Delhi edition; pg 14
FROM EXPRESSEN (SWEDEN):
***Emirates ger gravida flygvärdinnor sparken
Tidigare artiklar
Anställda övervakas, punktmarkeras och får sina privatliv styrda av arbetsgivaren, vittnade flera anställda om.
Nu kommer nya uppgifter om ett annat flygbolag.
TT skriver att Emirates, som nu flyger dagligen från Sverige, sparkar sina flygvärdinnor om de blir gravida.
Om en besättningsmedlem blir gravid under sitt första treårskontrakt måste hon säga upp sig och kan “ansöka om att återansluta efter sin graviditet”, bekräftar Emirates i ett mejl till TT.
Mejla
Det är den fackliga organisationen International Transport Workers Federation, ITF, som går till hård attack mot flygbolag som Qatar Airways, Emirates, Etihad och Oman Air, som alla tillämpar den kontroversiella principen att förbjuda sina anställda att bli gravida, skriver TT.
De flygvärdinnor som väntar barn tvingas säga upp sig vid flera av bolagen.
Expressen kunde nyligen i ett långt reportage avslöja hur Qatar Airways punktmarkerar sina anställda, styr deras relationer och tvingar dem att säga upp sig om de blir gravida.
Tusentals har rasat mot uppgifterna i artikeln, och företaget har fått utstå kritik av lavinartade dimensioner.
Sparkar gravida
Lyxbolaget Emirates har nu dagliga flygningar från Sverige och bekräftar för TT att om en flygvärdinna blir gravid under sitt första treårskontrakt så måste hon säga upp sig.
Hon kan dock “ansöka om att återansluta efter sin graviditet”, heter det i uttalandet.
Oman Air tillät tidigare utländska flygvärdinnor att ta ett års obetald mammaledighet, men i de nya kontrakten som trädde i kraft har den principen skrotats.
Måste anmäla giftermål
– Det är okej att gifta sig men vi måste säga till en månad i förväg. Och från årsskiftet måste nyanställda som blir gravida säga upp sig, säger den anonyma flygvärdinnan till TT.
En bekant till henne fick nyligen sparken från sitt jobb på flygbolaget Qatar Airways för att hon hade gift sig utan att meddela bolaget i förväg, och fick inte ens tid att stänga sitt bankkonto innan hon utvisades.
“Värderar sina anställda”
“Vår bestämda uppfattning är att våra anställda är vår största tillgång, och deras bidragande till den rasande takt vi utvecklats i bör inte underskattas”, skriver Emirates på sin hemsida.
Expressen har sökt Emirates för en kommentar, men de har ännu inte återkommit.
FROM TRADEWINDS:
***Crews win pay rise
Shipping companies and the ITF union have agreed a pay hike for crews worth 4.95% by 2016.
Shipowners represented by the International Shipping Federation (ISF) met with the union at the International Labour Organization (ILO) this week to thrash out a deal.
Able seamen will receive a minimum monthly rate of $592 from 1 January, 2015, up from $585 currently.
This then rises to $614 in 2016.
ISF spokesperson Arthur Bowring said: “We believe the decision taken is an appropriate one that gives shipowners adequate notice to be prepared for the impact of agreed changes going forward to 2016.”
TradeWinds had earlier reported that sources familiar with the talks suggested the ILO’s assessment of consumer prices and exchange rates by a working group indicated further increases might not be justified.
The real significance is likely to be the effect it has on collective wage-bargaining negotiations, currently coming to a head under the International Bargaining Forum (IBF), where the ITF has called for a 15% pay rise.
FROM MARINELINK:
***Minimum Wage Increase for the Able Seafarer
Posted by Michelle Howard
Friday, February 28, 2014, 8:20 AM
Maritime Employer representatives, coordinated by the International Shipping Federation (ISF), met with International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) counterparts this week at the International Labor Organization to review the ILO recommended minimum wage for the Able Seafarer. It was agreed that from January 1, 2015, the ILO minimum monthly basic wage for an AB is increased to $592 (USD) and from January 1, 2016, the basic wage is increased to $614.
ISF spokesperson Arthur Bowring led the Shipowner Group in the discussions held on February 26 and 27, 2014 in Geneva. In his opening statement, Bowring reflected that the current figure of $585 came into effect on December 31, 2013 and noted that the purpose of the meeting was to ensure the maintenance of a safety net for seafarers particularly from developing countries. He also referred to publications from UN bodies such as UNCTAD that underlined uncertainty in the global economy and challenges facing world trade and particularly over supply of tonnage in the shipping industry.
Bowring commented, “We believe the decision taken is an appropriate one that gives shipowners adequate notice to be prepared for the impact of agreed changes going forward to 2016.”