ILO asks Qatar Airways to scrap 'discriminatory' contracts

The International Labour Organization on Tuesday called on Qatar Airways to scrap contracts allowing the state-owned airline to sack female crew members who fell pregnant, saying such measures were discriminatory.

The UN agency also rapped the airline for stipulating that women crew members could only be picked up from work by their father, brother or husband.

The ILO had looked into the Doha-based airline's employment rules after the International Transport Workers' Federation and the International Trade Union Confederation brought the case to the UN agency.

"The provisions providing the company with the possibility to automatically terminate the employment of women cabin crew on the sole basis of pregnancy are discriminatory," the ILO said.

It said the provision breached its 57-year-old convention against discrimination at work, which has been ratified by more than 170 countries.

The ILO also asked the Qatar government about the impact of a clause stipulating that crew members needed prior permission from the company to get married. The carrier said the clause has been dropped.   

The ILO's finding came as Qatar Airways -- one of the world's fastest growing airlines -- won the Airline of the Year Award for the third time at the annual Skytrax World Awards at the Paris air show.