Just to clarify things, BA have stated that the instructions to put pregnant cabin crew on unpaid leave if they lived too far away from LHR or LGW was a mistake and they have clarified that this is NOT what should be happening.
Having done BA's own in-house course on Discrimination in the workplace, I can tell you all, that it is definitely not allowed in law to do this to pregnant employees.
Most of these girls would happily report for flying duties but it is BA that don't allow this, some airlines do allow cabin crew to continue to fly, particularly in the second trimester and only ground cabin crew at the beginning of their pregnancy and I believe that this is what happens with our female pilots also. It would be unreasonable to make people move away from their families and live near Heathrow in order to continue to be paid just because they are pregnant and I am glad that BF has stepped in and clarified the situation.
Of course for those like me that lived locally it is quite annoying at the time, when you have to struggle in to work each day and you know that some are sitting at home but that's just life!!
There are 500 pregnant cabin crew on average at any one time and out of those 500, aprox 375 are in work placements, only aprox 125 live too far away to be able to come in and work. I expect if BA could avoid paying them they would but it is against the law and I am sure BA treat our female pilots in the same way if they are grounded due to pregnancy and live too far away to commute.
I expect whoever sent out the memo two weeks ago that started all this and caused quite a few pregnant crew to get very upset and worried is in quite a lot of trouble seeing that it reached some of the tabloid websites today!!
This issue with pregnant crew has nothing to do with DH's rant about female cabin crew which is just a load of twaddle, predominantly the cabin crew that are the most vocal and militant are men and trying to hide behind the skirts of women is just pathetic!!
These are my views and I do not speak for BA
Last edited by Betty girl; 16th Mar 2011 at 00:37.