UN to Qatar Airways: Stop firing women for being pregnant

The labour arm of the United Nations on Tuesday urged Qatar Airways to end discriminatory contracts that allow the airline to fire cabin crew for becoming pregnant.

According to a statement by the International Labour Organisation Qatar Airways “reserves the right to automatically terminate your contract as a flying cabin crew member should you become pregnant”.

The company also reserves the right to fire you if try to hide or fail to disclose your pregnancy.

The ILO said the airline is breaching an almost 60-year-old convention against discrimination. The 1956 convention has been ratified by 172 countries including Qatar where it is in force.

The Qatari government, which owns the airline, said that the company actively sought to find “alternative jobs on the ground for pregnant cabin crew” and did not have a policy of dismissing pregnant staff.

The ILO launched an investigation after receiving a string of complaints from airline staff. The Geneva-based body has also urged Qatar Airways to review a policy that prohibits female staff members from being dropped off by a man who is not a relative – a practice Qatar Airways has defended for being a “a cultural norm”.

More than 80 percent of Qatar Airway’s cabin crew are women and around 90 percent of all staff are migrant workers.

The ILO case was brought against Qatar by the International Transport Workers’ Federation and the International Trade Union Confederation in June 2014. According to the ILO, Qatar Airways has since taken some steps to address the worst grievances but has not gone far enough.  

ITUC general secretary, Sharan Burrow, said: “The gaze of world opinion is locked on the behaviour of the Qatari government - over Qatar Airways, over its abhorrent treatment of migrant workers, and over the World Cup.”

“In Geneva today Qatar has been proved wanting. The nation is on trial. It cannot evade its responsibilities. It has to begin to do the right thing.”