India – Indian Airlines Faces Legal Backlash from Air Hostesses Suspended as Considered “Overweight”
Author: Womens UN Report Network
Date: October 30, 2006
India National Air Carrier
Faces Legal Backlash From Cabin Crew Suspended For Being Overweight
Amelia Gentleman in
Delhi
Sunday November 5, 2006
The Observer
question will be addressed at Delhi’s Supreme Court this week, as lawyers argue
over whether Indian Airlines, the state-owned carrier and a national symbol, can
fire its air hostesses for being too fat.
Eleven employees, recently grounded for putting on too much weight, claim
that the airline has changed its vision of the Indian feminine ideal –
abandoning the more buxom prototype in favour of a more westernised, skinny
model, which staff see as ‘unattainable’.
ambassadors’ to represent the national airline, and the country as a whole, and
will also claim that thinner employees are more agile and better equipped to
tackle terrorist incidents and other emergencies.
‘They want to discard the heavier women and bring in newer, thinner models,’
said Sheela Joshi, an air hostess who was grounded after a spot weigh-in found
she was 1.9kg over the prescribed limit for her height.
Distressed at the prospect of losing her job after 25 years with the company,
she went on a crash diet, and now eats only one meal a day to try to keep within
the limit. She has been allowed to fly again, but describes the process as
demeaning. ‘This is our national carrier and should represent the dignity of
Indian culture. These new policies are humiliating to women.’
An internal memo earlier this year warned cabin staff they would be banned
from flying if random weight checks found them to be over a fixed weight, set
out in a company chart. Although weight guidelines have always been in place,
previously they were not rigorously enforced. Lawyers for the cabin crew unions
say that around 130 members of staff have been temporarily suspended without pay
for putting on too much weight, although most are now back at work.
The court will rule this week on whether the airline is within its rights to
stop paying staff, grounded because of their weight, and lawyers will decide
whether it is a breach of constitutional rights to discriminate against
overweight staff.
At the root of the dispute is a struggle by the government-run airline to
survive in an increasingly competitive industry where new private companies are
aggressively marketing their cheap tickets and short-skirted employees.
The advertising of air travel here has a pre-feminism 1950s feel to it, with
companies like Kingfisher Airlines (run by beer baron Vijay Mallya) selling
young, leggy hostesses in scarlet heels and skimpy red skirts as part of the
brand. Mallya prides himself on personally selecting his air hostesses and
refers to them as ‘walking models in the air’. Another new airline, SpiceJet,
dresses its slim and fresh-faced ‘Spice Girls’ in tight skirts and heels.
Until now, Indian Airlines has stuck to the traditional sari, but staff say
there is an increasing managerial sensitivity to the appearance – and weight –
of its employees.
‘If you look at the cinema, you can see how attitudes are changing. Twenty
years ago the stars were bigger, rounder. Now all that matters is the slim
figure,’ said Joshi, 48, who was grounded for weighing 64.9kg instead of the
required 63kg.
‘After 25 years, the airline seems to be saying, “you are worn out, we want a
younger face”. They want supermodels, not air hostesses, and they’re setting us
unattainable goals. But actually passengers want a polite and caring service and
most are more concerned about flight safety than looks. Experienced cabin crew
are better in a crisis than new people recruited for their appearance.’
Arvind Kumar Sharma, the air hostesses’ lawyer, said the Indian Airlines
approach represented a breach of the right to livelihood and described it as
‘arbitrary discrimination’.
But Indian Airlines officials stress that the appearance of their staff is a
matter of commercial survival. ‘Air hostesses are the airline’s brand
ambassadors. Passengers are held captive inside the aeroplane staring at the
flight crew for hours; you form an opinion of the airline from them. It’s a
cosmetic issue, but it’s crucial,’ said a company lawyer.
‘Indian Airlines used to have a monopoly, but now the skies are open and the
business is very competitive. Why would you fly Indian Airlines when staff at
other companies are so very tall and attractive?’
The question of weight was also vital in helping to prevent terrorist
attacks, he claimed. ‘Staff need to be fit enough to control crazy guys who are
trying to take over the flight. Weight is an indication of fitness.’
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