EK Lawsuit
Emirates pilots sue Emirates Airlines for discrimination
A group of 12 EK Airbus pilots are preparing to take legal action against Emirates airlines on the grounds of employment discrimination. Within the same company and having signed the same contract, there is a direct distinction between employees with the same position, same qualifications and same date of entry. This discrimination is between FO’s (first officer) on the Airbus and the Boeing fleet.
A number of Airbus FO’s have now received a potential date for the start of their command course 4.6 years after joining the company (4.8 years until course completion). This implies that an Airbus FO has to wait 1.8 years longer than his Boeing counterpart who upgrades after only 3 years with the company. A Boeing FO with an identical joining date and rank not only benefits from a faster career progression, but also from a substantial raise in salary and privileges (pension fund, travel benefits, accommodation) totalling several hundred thousand dirhams.
In the past, promotion times for upgrade courses have always slightly differed between the Airbus and Boeing fleets, but have never reached such these proportions. 1.8 year is, in fact, 75% of a Boeing FO’s lifespan. The distinction between promotion times does not stem from external factors such as the delayed arrival of the A380s. It clearly results from company policy and the lack of a standardised seniority system. Ironically EK has published an official seniority list (all fleets merged) on their crew portal.
The GCAA might become involved in the legal proceedings as this discrimination could affect some aspects of flight safety such as CRM.
The 12 EK Airbus pilots intend to compel Emirates to resolve this discrimination issue by scheduling earlier upgrade courses for Airbus FO, or at the very least providing compensation to the plaintiffs.