Singapore Airlines announces big policy change, pregnant crew members won't be FIRED now

In a big policy change, the pregnant crew members of Singapore Airlines will not have to resign instead, they can opt for ground duties during their pregnancy to cover their expenses; read on for more details.

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Skytrax World Airline recently ranked Singapore Airlines as one of the world's best airlines in 2022. The airline got the title because of a myriad of factors, including the cabin crew services, which the airline is known for. However, the facility had one major flaw, i.e., the cabin crew members who got pregnant had to leave the airline. The airline has received criticism for this policy on multiple occasions, and the policy was labeled discriminatory by many. Considering all these factors, Singapore Airlines has announced to reverse the ruling rendering it useless. This means the pregnant cabin crew members can now continue to have their employment with the airlines.

Earlier, pregnant flight attendants with Singapore Airlines were required to reveal their pregnancies and take unpaid leave prior to the new guidelines going into effect on July 15 of this year. The new mothers were also required to resign after the birth of their kid, even if the airline refers to it as leaving the service, and to provide the flag carrier with a copy of their child's birth certificate.

Expecting cabin workers were not eligible for ground assignments, and if they wanted to fly with the airline again, they had to reapply under a returning crew programme. However, the possibility of reapplying under such a plan did not ensure that they would be hired by their previous employer again.

However, now things will change with the change in policy. Now, Singapore Airlines will allocate ground assignments for the expecting crew members, as per Simple Flying's report. The duties will last for three months minimum to nine months maximum.

The pregnant cabin crew would still be placed on unpaid leave, but they would not be obliged to resign and instead may apply for as many ground jobs as they needed to cover their expenses until they started paid maternity leave. Singapore Airlines also states that following maternity leave, they can resume their flying activities. Although it may have taken some time, the Star Alliance member airline is beginning to undergo adjustments gradually.