Flying is not so freeing on Qatar Airways. The airline is being criticized for reportedly forcing female workers to ask for permission from the company when they want to get married or to reveal when they become pregnant.
According to Al Arabia English, the International Transport Workers' Federation released a report which claims that the airline makes women tell the company when they're getting married and if they're pregnant. If they don't follow these rules, they could lose their job.
The ITF says that a hiring contract for Qatar's female employees reads, "You are required to obtain prior permission from the company, in case you wish to change your marital status and get married.
"The employee shall notify the employer in case of pregnancy from the date of her knowledge of its occurrence. The employer shall have the right to terminate the contract of employment from the date of notification of the pregnancy. Failure of employee to notify the employer or the concealment of the occurrence shall be considered a breach of contract."
The report also says that many of the female airline employees are non-Qatari nationals and "rely on obtaining temporary work visas under a sponsorship programme."
"We have stories from workers that show they are one of the worst airlines in history and that women are at risk of being stalked, are subject to curfews in their accommodation and that there are attempts to bribe workers who will report other workers who are on duty," Sharan Burrow, the general secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation said.
"We would expect that the airline will try to paint a picture of their operations and say [that the allegations] are essentially not the truth," International Trade Union Confederation general secretary Sharan Burrow told Al Arabiya English.
The airline has not yet responded to the claims.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
