Ethiopian Airlines
Eritreans who have worked for Ethiopian Airlines for almost 25 years or more had not been compensated with their pension.
This led them forming a group in the UK after they were forced to leave the country because of the war.
After a group meeting they have come up with a decision to fight in the court of law by hiring a solicitor against their former employer.
The fight had taken many weeks and months of meetings and talks with UN officials and Red Cross.
As a result Ethiopian Airlines has come to a settlement on redeeming the retired airline workers in the UK by giving them 80% percent discount on flight tickets to any destination, for each former employee and one other member of their family for a life time.
One of the former employees told capitaleritrea that they were expecting the court decision to go in their favour due to after all these years of services they have put in for Ethiopian Airlines.
“We were aiming for our full pension, but we have to accept the court ruling. However, overall we are not that disappointed, we just wanted justice to be served“.
The group said that they also would like to be an example for many other Eritreans living abroad that were former employees of Ethiopians Airlines who were misplaced during the war without compensation.
This comes after Ethiopian Airlines is planning to order 15 new aircrafts within the coming three month, which will be either Boeing or Airbus. The company has already 10 Boeing 787s on order, the first aircraft is expected to be delivered in July 2010.
The orders are being witnessed by former employees with slight disappointment after having been refused their pension.
At least I hope that the gesture of getting discounts on flying with the airline is seen as being positive. It is not simple for a state-owned airline to recognize one’s pension when one was sent out of the country for being a threat to national security. I have heard many Eritreans talking about how they contributed to Ethiopian Airlines’ success, but when it came to the matter of nationality, ethnicity and personal pride, they were there to put it down, spit and step on it. While it took a while, this group is now seeing what was good to it after all.
It is also worth mentioning that the airline’s success (in terms of revenues generated and passengers flown) ballooned following the last Ethiopia-Eritrea war in the late 90s which resulted in the expulsion of this group from Ethiopia.
Is CapitalEritrea website the propaganda machine for Dictator Isayas?? when ethiopia is trying to close gap between people, your website and dictator isayas hope to divide people.
Good reporting on a business issue! I do not see any political hidden agenda. Telling the story of these workers who have a right to claim their pension does not divide anyone!
Keep it up capitalEritrea. The more successful you become, the more Tigray haters will bark on your website. You’re fair and balanced and Tigrayans hate that. They want you to fabricate stories or hate on your country for them to sleep well. Glad to see you rooting for Eritreans and still keeping things professional and credible. Cheers.
this is a good success news for our brothers eritreans who were victims of the war..so don’t try to connect this news with any propoganda..come out of that, this is not fabricaton. dont’t hate ur motherland