Australian Airlines Accused of Ignoring Crew Sexual Harassment
Photo Credit: Qantas said it will start a new program later this year to create a more inclusive culture. Qantas
Skift Take
It’s been one of the dirty secrets of the airline business for decades, but the #MeToo movement is now exposing sexual harassment among cabin crew in Australia. Accusations from a leading union have forced the airlines to issue strong denials about systemic problems.
The union representing Australia’s airline cabin crew has called for immediate action after a survey found widespread sexual harassment of its members at the hands of co-workers and passengers.
The Transport Workers Union released the results of a survey of airline cabin crew showing 65 percent of respondents had experienced sexual harassment, with one in five crew reporting more than 10 such incidents. There were about 400 survey respondents, representing about 5 percent of Australia’s 8,000 cabin crew workers.
Four out of five cabin crew experienced sexual harassment from co-workers, while three out of five experienced it from passengers, the survey found.
The union claimed the incidents included serious sexual assault, workers being pinned down and assaulted, passengers exposing themselves to crew, workers being touched on their groins and buttocks, highly sexualized comments, and degrading comments targeted to crew because of their sexual orientation.
“These resul
