State-owned Malaysia Airlines System (MAS), which has been accused of blatant discrimination of its female cabin crew, will face the wrath of a joint campaign by its workers' union and women's groups in the coming weeks.

MAS Employees Union (Maseu) and women's groups today launched an initiative to bring public the airline's policies which they claim contravene the federal constitution, the Employment Act, and UN conventions.

According to Women's Aid Organisation president Meera Samanther ( photo ), the joint effort comprising of a signature campaign and a drive to lobby relevant ministries and MPs, was to raise public awareness on the way female cabin crew have been treated by the national carrier.

Maseu and women's groups will also be coordinating an online campaign and distributing some 10,000 leaflets that detail the discrimination and other violations.

At a press conference today, the groups presented a memorandum demanding revisions in a number of employment areas in which the MAS management has failed to deliver: retirement age, maternity benefits and the right to benefits for more than two children.

MAS currently retires its female cabin crew at between 40 and 45 years, much earlier than the male crew retirement age of 55 years. Contrast this to MAS' female ground staff, who retire at the standard 55 years of age.

As equal treatment between the sexes is a constitutional right, the groups say MAS' discrimination limits a woman's access to equal opportunity within the company and serves to ignore the contribution of its female cabin crew.

Gratuity falls short

MAS currently employs some 4,300 flying staff, with women accounting 60 per cent of this figure.

Though a gratuity of RM800 for every year of service is offered to female flying staff on retirement, such compensation does not hold water considering that the women stand to lose up to RM900,000, if she is stopped working at 45 years of age.

According to Maseu, 60 is the retirement age MAS holds for its Japan staff, a requirement under Japanese labour laws for all its citizens.

"It is funny that MAS follows the laws of other countries but not Malaysian law," said Maseu deputy president Ungku Yuzaph Ungku Ahmad.

According to Samanther, most female staff have indicated that they are "willing to forego the gratuity, in order to have continuous employment until 55 years of age."

Maseu points out that even Air Asia - Malaysia's other airline - have recently raised its retirement age of its female cabin crew to be equal to its male staff, in compliance with minimum requirements of the law.

The bodies are also unhappy that under the existing collective agreement, female cabin crew are grounded the moment they are pregnant, in addition to being denied pay, medical benefits, or allowance for seven months of their pregnancy.

Such policies on maternity leave falls drastically short of the minimum maternity benefits guaranteed by the Employment Act 1955.

In any collective agreement, said the memorandum, the terms and conditions should leave workers in a better condition compared with the Employment Act. This means guaranteeing its female cabin crew all benefits, including entitlement to full pay during pregnancy.

Collective agreement

"We have not signed the collective agreement, (due for signature 13 months ago) for the sole reason that we do not want to discriminate against the female employees," said Ungku Yuzaph.

"We hope that MAS' policy-makers will have the mindset to meet the minimum requirements of the law," he said.

"Why would we settle for a foot ... if the law says we are entitled to the whole nine yards?"

The joint memo also want the airline to comply with legal requirements which guarantees a woman's right to maternity benefits for five children.

Under current practices, MAS reserves the right to terminate the services of any cabin crew if she has more than two children.

The groups call this a "infringement of women's choice to choose," and not to mention a practice that is in contravention to Section 37 of the Employment Act, which guarantees maternity leave for up to five children.

"MAS have won the Best Cabin Crew award for the past three years. Is MAS saying that it does not value the contribution of its female cabin crew, when we are in fact the standard-bearer for service and professionalism among airlines?" said a cabin crew member.

"We all respect the company and are certainly not on a crusade against the company. But we want the management to come out on these issues openly. Our women staff should not be treated in such a manner," said Ungku Yuzaph.

As it stands, the memorandum is endorsed by seven organisations, including All Women's Action Society of Malaysia, Women's Development Collective, Women's Committee of the Malaysian Trades Union Congress, Women's Centre for Change and Sisters' in Islam.