Eighty-three former cabin attendants of United Airlines, who were fired due to the company's poor business performance caused by the spread of the novel coronavirus, have filed lawsuits with the Tokyo District Court, claiming their dismissals were illegal and demanding the company confirm that their employment contracts are still in effect.
The first court hearing for 28 of the 83 former cabin attendants, all of whom live in Japan, was held Thursday. The company submitted a document to the court demanding the lawsuit be withdrawn.
According to the complaint, all of the plaintiffs were working at the United Airlines office at the Narita Airport, but the company announced on Sept. 14 last year that it would close the office at the end of that month due to a sharp drop in international flights caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The plaintiffs received a dismissal notice on Sept. 29 and were dismissed on Oct. 1.
The plaintiffs claimed that the company had not taken any measures such as soliciting voluntary resignations and that this was an abuse of its right to fire. The company declined to comment.
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