It has been announced that British Airways will be obliged to pay £2.3 million after losing its three-year long battle with more than 500 members of its cabin crew. The female employees have been fighting for compensation because the airline effectively cut their pay when they were obliged to switch to ground duties whilst pregnant.
British Airways’ mistake was to fail to pay grounded crew members the same allowances that they received on flying duties. The pay-out will compensate the women for the loss of pay. BA employes 13,5oo cabin crew of whom 600 could be pregnant at any one time.
A spokesperson for British Airway commented, “We are pleased to have reached a solution and we have been working positively with the unions to protect pay levels for pregnant staff”.
The Council of the European Union’s Euratom Directive requires airlines to monitor the exposure of pregnant flight crew to cosmic radiation. Many airlines choose to ground pregnant pilots and cabin crew whilst they are pregnant to minimise the risks of
- exposure to cosmic radiation
- circadian dysrhythmia
- hypoxia
- exposure to noise, vibration and turbulence
- mental fatigue
- physical fatigue and injury through manual handling and exertion.[1]
For further information on risk assessments during pregnancy please contact our free legal helpline on [phone number]. Your call will be answered by a legally qualified advisor and will be treated in the strictest confidence.