Ethiopian Airlines, Africa’s biggest airline, has started to lay off workers, including crew members in response to the devastating impact of the coronavirus crisis on the global travel industry.
The union, which represents most of the airline’s 8,000 workers, criticised the decision to lay off thousands of employees with no pay for three months and possibly longer in the midst of a pandemic.
According to a report in Quartz Africa, the decision to lay off workers comes as the airline is under pressure to cancel flights to nations that have substantial virus spreads, including flights to China, despite other similar international airlines doing so. It had promised to offset losses caused by COVID-19 with an increase in cargo flights and aircraft maintenance. This led to a presumption employees were not at a risk of being laid off at such a large scale, the union claimed.
“Most of us are being forced to agree to a three-month leave without any payment with little option,” said a full-time hostess who spoke on condition of anonymity. “If we don’t agree, we have been warned that would be considered as if we have abandoned our jobs at our own will and there will be no employment guarantee once the crisis is over.”
A letter forwarded to employees—seen by Quartz Africa—says due to reasons beyond the company’s control, staff are no longer required to report for duty until the resumption of normal operations.
“The company does not opt for the termination of your employment contract by now and rather we found it plausible to grant you annual leave and leave without pay for specified duration,” the letter read.
