SriLankan Airlines (SLA) Human Resources Division violating maternity leave laws forcibly sacked a flight attendant in the permanent cadre due to her pregnancy, in 2012, the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) on SriLankan Airlines, Srilankan Catering and Mihin Lanka learnt on Wednesday.
Senior Flight Attendant Yasanga De Alwis who faced the injustice due to the conduct of the Human Resources Division including the Head of Department (HHR) Pradeepa Kekulawala told the PCoI that the HR Division forced her to submit the letter of resignation immediately as she had got pregnant before the completion of three years as a cabin crew member.
The witness, De Alwis had joined the national carrier as a flight attendant on contract basis in 2008 and had been made permanent after three years in 2011.
“By that time, I had completed three years and 10 months as a cabin crew member and I refused to submit my letter of resignation,” she said.
She had met several members of the Senior Management Team including the Compliance Manager Rohini De Silva and the Head of HR Pradeepa Kekulawala and asked them to reconsider her request to be able to continue working.
“Nobody helped me and I was totally helpless at that time,” the witness told the Commission.
According to her, Kekulawala had rejected her request saying, “You’re wasting my time. Just leave the place.”
When asked by Senior State Counsel (SSC) Fazly Razik she had protested against this injustice, she replied yes.
“When I refused to resign, they said that they would terminate me for my service. Then I didn’t have any more strength to fight against it.”
However, it was revealed before the commission that women cabin crew members are entitled to maternity leave under the CBA and also as per the provisions of the Shops and Office Act of Sri Lanka.
In addition, there are optional actions stipulated in the CBA that can be taken for the sake of a pregnant employee, instead of forcing her to resign from the job. “Flying is not safe during pregnancy. It can cause a miscarriage. When I asked for two years’ no pay leave, they didn’t agree,” the witness said.
When asked by SSC Razik as to whether there are any other instances where the flight attendants faced similar incidents, she recollected one.
“That particular flight attendant was also a permanent staff member. But she did not leave the job as the trade union fought for her. I am the only permanent staff member who had to leave the job due to such an incident,” De Alwis said.
It was also revealed before the PCoI that there had been some pregnant flight attendants who had even contemplated having abortions to save their jobs, due to financial difficulties. Stopping a woman being a mother is unlawful,” she said.
Pointing out that the female pilots are given a no-pay maternity leave for three years, she added, “We are treated differently.”
The witness had rejoined the company in 2013 after an interview conducted by a panel headed by then SriLankan Airlines Chairman Nishantha Wickremesinghe.
HHR Pradeepa Kekulawala had also been on the panel. She had received the job again on a two-year contract till May 2015 and had further extended it only for one month, till June 2015.
“So I thought of writing to President Maithripala Sirisena in this regard, in 2015. Later, I got a letter from then Chairman Ajith Dias to meet the HR Division.
Only after that was I made permanent as a flight attendant and later upgraded as a Senior Flight Attendant,” she said.
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