#1Before Applying for Qatar AirwaysPosted 02/02/2012 at 08:57QuoteReplyIt is only fair to those who wish to join this company that they know what they are getting themselves into before they make that decision of leaving behind job, country and family to come to Doha and work for Qatar Airways.There isn’t a single Labor Union in Doha, which gives local companies like Qatar Airways the totalitarian power to make andchange rules and regulations without any expected objections from employees. Labor or Worker Strikes are unheard of in this part of the world. There are no negotiations ever made between management and staff. Rules could easily change overnight at the company’s own prerogative. If only there was a Union to protect the staff, Qatar Airways would havebeen dragged to court relentlessly for all the misconduct and abuse it has done to itsstaff over the years.Thus the ultimate goal of this article is that the staff of Qatar Airways get a chance to be heard by any international organization who possess the power and authority to force this company to change and reform its management methods.Everyone in the region knows that Qatar Airways is a tough company to work for. It isn’t easy for the employees who already work here to just leave and find other jobs. The majority of the staff is then forced to accept the working conditions allowing the company to continue in their abuse. Here are the major rules that affect the lifestyle of the staff the most and again they are constantly changing.AccommodationIf you are imagining a flat with an exquisiteview of the city in a high-rise condominium building that is fully fitted with a gym and an indoor pool, you will be disappointed. The tallest accommodation building is not higher than ten floors. Not all buildings come with a gym -not what they promise you on the interview day. During the interview they also show you a photo of a pool implying that accommodations have them. Only one accommodation building has an indoor pool and the another an outdoor one. That’s not enough for over 3000 cabin crew.If you are expecting to be living in the Manhattan area of Doha, that’s not the case. The location surrounding the accommodations makes you question yourself whether you live in one of the world wealthiest countries. (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_%28PPP%29_per_capita ) For the ladies, the area isn’t safe, or at least comfortable, for a stroll unless you welcome indecent proposals from local men. It isn’t uncommon either for girls to be touched by men loitering around the accommodation buildings.A new system has been installed in all accommodation buildings supposedly to enhance our security. The “Swipe In Swipe Out.” You will need to swipe your company ID to unlock a door every time you leave the accommodation building or enter it. Management claims it’s to protect us from intruders by keeping the main entrance to the building locked at all times and monitoring the in and out movements. This is true; however, the company isn’t just concerned about our safety. We are instructed to swipe our ID even if the door is already open. If two staff leave or enter the premises together, both of them shouldswipe their ID’s. If you visit your colleague in another building, you will not only have to sign in a log book indicating the time youarrived or left but you will have to swipe your ID as well. Needless to say, the system has been installed to monitor the staff’s movements more than it is to protectthem from outsiders.Cameras are installed in various areas of the building. This is of course for the crew’s protection, however, the recorded footage can also be used against again crew member who breaks the curfew and minimum rest regulations, which is explained further below.Visiting Hours and CurfewVisitors are allowed in the accommodations between 7:00am to 10:00pm only. All visitors are to sign in a log book at the security guard desk and putin the times they arrive and leave. However, a crew member is permitted to stay overnight at another crew member’s accommodation provided that they are of the same gender.A curfew is set for all cabin crew at 3:30am.All crew members must be in accommodation buildings before 3:30am irrespective of the next day duty.The log book together with Swiping ID system and camera footage can be used asevidences against any staff member in breach of the curfew rule. Strict actions -including termination of employment- can be taken. So far, the most common reason for crew members losing their jobs is not adhering to the curfew rule.Minimum RestIt is absolutely reasonable for an airline company to obligate the crew members to have sufficient rest prior to any flight or duty. Emergencies could occur any time, either on short of long flights, so crew must be alert and mentally capable of performing all the procedures and drills at any time. It is also unpleasant to see crew members sleeping on their jump seats during take-off and landing.A while ago, some passengers were kind enough to take pictures of crew sleeping onjump seats and sent them to the office (sending pictures to the company offices has become a common practice recently). The outcome was that dozens of girls were fired just because they were out of their accommodation during their supposedly rest period. Eventually, many of them werereinstated because they were out just for a short time to do errands such as buying grocery or going to the laundry, yet many never got their jobs back.The minimum rest period used to start 10 hours before reporting time of any duty. Asof August 22, 2010, this rule has been changed;“All crew members should be at company accommodations 12 hours before pick-up time.”CAA requires that there should be a rest period of 11 hours starting from 30 minutes after chucks on (roughly when engines are shut off) until the reporting time of next duty(approximately 100-120 minutes before departure).However, they roster crew in back to back flights in such a way that they reach the accommodation well short of the 12 hour rule.Take this for example:They roster a crew for a Saigon flight wherethe scheduled touchdown back in Doha is at 2359H. Then the next duty is a flight to Jeddah departing at 1345H with a reportingtime of 1155H. After adding 30mins after engines off to calculate end of duty (which now becomes 0029H), the crew roughly has only 11 hours and 26 minutes until the next duty. This is still legal according to CAAregulations but according to the 12-hour rule, this crew isn’t at company accommodation yet. The crew is still inside the aircraft doing the post flight duties including disembarking the passengers andconducting the security checks. Then the crew leaves the aircraft and boards a bus to go to the technical building where another bus awaits to transport the crew tothe accommodation. The whole process may take another one hour until the crew finally reaches his/her room in the accommodation. Now the crew has only 10hours and 26 minutes until his next reporting time. However, the pick-up time is 20 – 40 minutes before a reporting time (depending on how far the accommodationis from the technical building). So the crew has reached company accommodation just 10 hours before the pick-up which is well inbreach of the 12-hour rule. Crew has to change clothes, pack for next duty, sleep, wake up, and prepare for the next duty at least an hour before pick-up time. Crew can be terminated if found not following this rule yet the company breaks it very regularly.DatingThe company monitors and discourages boy-girl relationships. If the company finds out that you are dating another crew member they will keep a close track of all the times you visited each other in either accommodations. If it shows in the records that a crew member was at the accommodation of his/her “special someone” during the rest period of either crew , both would be fired. The management has a strong stand against “romance” among the crew members.MarriageIf you are single, forget about tying the knot in the next three or five years depending on whichever was indicated in the contact you signed. You won’t be allowed
Posted on: Fri, 28 Nov 2014 00:59:45 +0000
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