US flight attendant union urges Nicole Kidman to cease Etihad Airways partnership over female staff treatment
The president of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) has requested that Oscar winner Nicole Kidman ceases her endorsement of Etihad Airways over the company’s “abhorrent labour policies", in particular how it treats its female staff.
In an open letter to the Australian actress, APFA president Laura Glading, praised Kidman in her role as a UN goodwill ambassador for women but warned her to cease her association with the airline.
She wrote: “The United Arab Emirates and their airlines are well-known in our industry for their discriminatory labour practices and deplorable treatment of female employees.
“We saw that you had begun appearing in a new campaign for Etihad, a company that the Wall Street Journal has publicly reported 'may fire women if they become pregnant' and forces flight attendants to live in 'confinement' in secure compounds.
“We urge you, on behalf of the women and girls that you spoke of so eloquently, not to play a part in promoting Etihad Airways, a company that imposes abusive labour practices on its female employees and whose sole owner is a government that stands against the very world that you imagine."
A Etihad spokesperson said: "At Etihad Airways, we have become a global, award-winning employer because we value our employees and we treat them with dignity and respect.”
The pressure comes weeks after Kidman was unveiled as the face of Etihad Airways as the face of the ‘Flying Reimagined’ campaign.