Singapore Airlines Ltd said cabin crew who fall pregnant can remain employees, after a local newspaper reported the carrier has dropped its longstanding policy of firing them.
In a statement responding to Monday’s Straits Times article, Singapore Air said pregnant cabin crew “may choose to work in a temporary ground attachment” and can resume flying duties after maternity leave.
Before the new rules, which took effect on July 15, stewardesses who disclosed they were pregnant were put on leave without pay and forced to quit the airline the day after submitting their child’s birth certificate, the newspaper said. There was no ground work made available for pregnant crew, and in order to fly again, they had to reapply for a fresh job under a programme that didn’t guarantee re-employment, according to the report.
