Pilots say Qatar Airways monitors and muzzles staff online
Summary
Date Reported: 28 Jan 2022
Location: Qatar
Companies
Qatar Airways - EmployerAffected
Total individuals affected: Number unknown
Migrant & immigrant workers: ( Number unknown - Location unknown , Aircraft/Airline , Gender not reported )Issues
Freedom of Expression , Intimidation , Surveillance , Right to PrivacyResponse
Response sought: Yes, by Resource Centre
Story containing response: (Find out more)
Action taken: Qatar Airways responded to the allegations saying it "takes any alleged potential breach of company security or leaking of confidential information very seriously, and it is part of our responsibilities as a large-scale, global organisation, as well as a matter of duty of care to our employees and customers, to thoroughly investigate any incidences which may present a risk to our business"
Source type: News outlet
Staff at Qatar Airways who vent work worries online say the state carrier is retaliating with legal threats and job cuts - part of a growing corporate trend to monitor and muzzle employees who dare speak out.
Advocates say the carrier's attempts to silence employees and delete critical posts - be it in private or public forums - contravenes staff rights to privacy and free expression...
The Thomson Reuters Foundation spoke to three current or former staff of the state-run airline who believe they were directly punished for voicing their worries online...
The airline served a subpoena to Google in a bid to discover whose Gmail addresses lay behind the critical accounts [on PPRUNE]...
Some QA staff accuse the airline of terminating their contracts because they were managing group chats on Facebook and WhatsApp that included criticism of the company...
As the company ramped up layoffs in 2020's travel slump, the chat increasingly turned to work woes and rising job cuts, with one former employee especially vociferous about her sacking.