Serious allegations have been made against a personnel service provider who was supposed to be looking for new flight attendants for Kuwait Airways in Spain: The daily newspaper "El Diario" reports, among other things, that female applicants were asked to strip down to their underwear. Male prospects would have been rejected immediately without further justification.

The airline concerned, on whose behalf the personnel search was carried out, is surprised. Among other things, they explain that they have been working with this agency for five years and that around 90 percent of the competitors who are looking for flight attendants in Spain have been hired by them. We have never heard of such incidents and want to investigate them. The golf carrier makes it clear that applicants will not be tolerated if they are humiliated. There were also no instructions whatsoever that the bodies of potential employees be "examined" in such a way.

Unsurprisingly, the staffing company has remained silent, not responding to a request with pertinent questions. The newspaper El Diario, citing a 23-year-old applicant, claims that she and other women were asked to strip down to her bra and panties. An employee of the personnel service provider then wrote comments about her body in her notebook.

Service providers did not want to place any men

The recruiting event took place in November 2022 in a hotel in Madrid, Spain. This was not carried out by Kuwait Airways itself, but by a service provider specializing in finding new flight attendants. According to those affected, all male applicants were initially rejected and excluded without further justification. In the case of the women, everyone who, for example, had glasses or braces or had visible scars or moles was then sent home. Those who progressed were then said to have been asked whether they were willing to eat more to gain weight or lose weight. It is also claimed that there were occasional rejections because the employees of the service provider did not like the skin or the smile of the applicants.

The only explanation given to the male prospects for their immediate refusal was that Kuwait Airways would only hire men in this area if they had Kuwaiti citizenship. However, this is said to have only affected three people, as the others of the approximately 60 participants are said to have been female.

State Secretary describes the behavior as "unacceptable and insulting to dignity"

The "individual talks" are said to have proved to be extremely uncomfortable for the women, because they were said to have been asked individually to strip down to their underpants and bra. When the applicants asked what that was actually about, they said that they had to look for scars, birthmarks and tattoos. Some of the young women are said to have left the room crying because they are said to have felt humiliated. Allegedly, words were also said to have indicated that if you don't want to expose yourself, you will be sorted out immediately. However, the "action" is said not to have been carried out by a male employee of Meccti, but by a female employee.

The incident is making waves in Spain, because the Ministry of Labor has meanwhile initiated investigations against the personnel service provider Meccti. The responsible state secretary, Joaquín Pérez Rey, described the company's behavior as "unacceptable behavior that violates the dignity and fundamental rights of these women".