FORMER HR HEAD RECRUITED UNQUALIFIED CABIN CREW

Srilankan Cabin Manager testifies before PCOI THE RECRUITEE WAS THE SON OF THE THEN VICE PRESIDENT OF THE FLIGHT ATTENDANTS

Former Head of Human Resources at Srilankan Airlines, Pradeepa Kekulawala recruited several unqualified persons as flight stewards, it was revealed, before Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCOI) on irregularities at Srilankan Airlines, Srilankan Catering and Mihin Lanka yesterday.

Mohammed Irshad, Cabin Manager at Srilankan, told the PCOI that the Head of Human Resources had made several recruitment of underage persons as flight steward in 2014 and a former stewardess as the beautician of the airline.

“When we held walk in interviews to recruit stewards, a young man came in. When I was interviewing him, the representative of HR told me that there is no need to question him as he is already in. Apparently he was the son of the then Vice President of the Flight Attendants’ Union. He was an underage person.the young man was selected and we had withdrawn from the recruitment process from then on because we were also members of the Union,” he said.

Moreover, the HR division chose a former stewardess as the Airline’s beautician, which was a position held before by well-known figures such as Ramani Fernando, Nayana de Silva and Ramzi Rahaman.

When I was interviewing him, the representative of HR told me that there is no need to question him as he is already in

In the last two years, the HRD has also made it essential for potential candidates to first study at the Aviation Academy, which charged huge fees in their academic year. This had paved the way for those with lesser knowledge could join the national carrier.