Air France's dress code rule requiring female members of the crew to wear headscarfs and loose clothing upon arriving Iran is causing an uproar, and now the airline is offering an opt-out solution.
The dress code was announced when Air France said it will resume flights to
Tehran, Iran, on April 17, CNN reported. When employees objected to following the country’s local rules about dress, the airline offered the opt-out.
Other airlines follow local rules for dress in Iran, but unions representing Air France employees objected to requirement, which doesn’t
apply during the flight, Reuters reported.
“Tolerance and respect for the cultures and customs in the countries served by the airline are part of the fundamental values of
Air France and its staff,” the company said in a news release.
Crewmembers must inform the airline of their refusal to wear a headscarf ahead of time and the airline “will offer them the possibility to choose not to fly to Tehran and work on a different flight.”
The airline had operated service to Iran since 1946, but suspended it in 2008 because of sanctions. International sanctions were lifted in January when Iran agreed to dismantle its nuclear program.
Some Air France employees complained that the dress requirement was
against French law, The Guardian reported.
“They are forcing us to wear an ostentatious religious symbol. We have to let the girls choose what they want to wear. Those that don’t want to must be able to say they don’t want to work on those flights,” union leader Françoise Redolfi told RFI radio, according to the U.K. newspaper. “Many female members of flight crews have told us that it’s out of the question they be obliged to wear headscarves. It’s not professional and they see it as an insult to their dignity.”
Twitter users shared mixed reactions to the controversy.
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