Malaysia Airlines (MAS) and the Malaysian Airline System Employees Union (Maseu) are just alleviating and not totally removing the discriminatory provisions set in the terms and conditions of the Letter of Exchange signed on May 3.

Women Centre for Change president Zarizana Abdul Aziz said the changes made by the airline did not reflect its commitment to translate into action their support for international standards of non-discrimination among staff.

"It seems to me MAS is under pressure and they have to compromise somehow," she said when contacted today.

"MAS has to be committed to ensure equal opportunities for men and women," she stressed.

Transport Minister Chan Kong Choy was quoted in New Straits Times today as saying that the airline and the union has signed a Letter of Exchange on May 3 to deal with discriminatory issues among its female cabin crew.

The changes announced by Chan included - female stewardesses are now allowed to have three children - previously it was two, retirement age for female cabin crew remains at 40 but those in the supervisory level are permitted to extend up to 55 years old, to serve as ground crew.

Another change in benefit for female flight attendants is an increment of gratuity payment from RM800 to RM1000 per year, for those who retire after 40.

Labour rights movement Tenaganita also found the changes unsatisfactory. "Substantially the perceptive has not changed. We reject these small benefits," said its director, Irene Fernandez.

"Apparently, the concept of equality is not clearly understood. What other MAS workers get are also due to its female flight attendants," she said.

Meanwhile, the Joint Action Group against Violence Against Women (Jag-Vaw) expressed its disappointment on how the Transport Ministry, Women and Family Development Ministry, Human Resource Ministry and Maseu handled this matter.

"In particular, we are disillusioned with the Women and Family Development Ministry for accepting such a discriminatory compromise. We have higher expectations of the ministry, especially in light of its recent commitment at the Non-Alignment Movement (NAM) Conference and as expressed in the Putrajaya Declaration to eliminate all laws that discriminate against women," it said.

Discriminatory condition

According to Women's Development Collective (WDC) executive director Maria Chin Abdullah, the ministries did not remove discriminatory conditions in the present collective agreement (2002).

Among the discriminatory provisions include unpaid leave for a pregnant stewardess.

"The ministries did not deal with the inadequacy of the maternity benefits provided for the flight stewardess. There is no mention of removing such discriminatory conditions," Chin said in a statement.

Maria said that the terms stated in the present agreement only allowed stewardess to be pregnant after five years of service. This discriminatory condition is still there, she pointed out.

She also said that the stewardess should be allowed to have up to five children. They should also be entitled to enjoy paid maternity leave.

DAP Wanita secretary Fong Po Kuan expressed her disappointment over Chan's comments, who "obviously thinks that MAS employees should be thankful for the new terms."

"MAS so-called improved provisions are hardly significant. They are still discriminating against stewardess," she said in a statement.

She urged MAS to look into more desired qualities in a workforce and not just 'being young and pretty'.

"The success of MAS does not hinge on the fact that their employees are pretty young things, but the cabin crew are professional and dedicated in their work, despite the fact they have been discriminated against for all these years."