By Lee Hyo-sik
The Seoul Administrative Court ruled Monday against a cabin crew manager who was dismissed for making sexually-suggestive remarks to female subordinates.
The manager who used to supervise 12 female flight attendants at an unidentified local carrier filed a complaint against the National Labor Relations Commission for siding with the company that terminated his employment.
But the court ruled that the plaintiff’s team members constantly felt sexually harassed and were disgusted by his inappropriate actions and remarks.
“The manager should have set an example for subordinates in the workplace in which sexual harassment is strictly prohibited. But he acted in the opposite manner,” the court said. “Given that he had previously been given several administrative warnings for his inappropriate behavior, prior to his dismissal, we cannot say the discharge was unjustified.”
In February 2010, the manager talked about his sexual experiences with junior team members over breakfast. Several days later, he touched a female flight attendant’s knees on the airplane and made remarks about her appearance.
He told a subordinate who purchased pomegranate juice that the fruit boosts a person’s sexual drive. The manager also openly talked about a plan to watch pornographic material on TV.
After junior flight attendants complained about his behavior, airline management ordered him to voluntarily resign from his post. But the airline had to dismiss the manager as he refused to quit.
Following the dismissal, he filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Commission, arguing that the accusation of him sexually harassing junior staff members was a simple misunderstanding. He also claimed that the discharge was too harsh for an employee who had worked for the airline for 20 years.