Biman Bangladesh: Irregularities in cabin crew recruitment

The investigation committee of the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism has found irregularities in the recruitment of cabin crew at the state-owned carrier Biman Bangladesh Airlines. Committee members observed that, immediately before the oral examinations, a recruitment committee was suddenly reconstituted. A representative of the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism was removed from all recruitment committees.

Also, the original recruitment notice stated 50 vacancies, but this was later amended to 100. Ultimately, one additional candidate was appointed, bringing the total to 101.

Certain candidates who did not meet the required physical measurements were also appointed, and there is evidence that a married candidate was selected despite a condition that recruits should be unmarried.

After an inquiry that lasted more than two months, the committee submitted its report to the ministry in the last week of August. The committee members states that they observed procedural irregularities. They did not investigate financial transactions.

There have been previous instances of irregularity and corruption in the recruitment of pilots and cabin crew at Biman. The present allegation of impropriety in appointments has again come to light during the caretaker government’s term.

Two persons, Saiduzzaman Manna and Rafiqul Islam, lodged a written complaint at the civil aviation and tourism ministry, alleging corruption and biased oral examinations in the recruitment tests for flight stewards and stewardesses at Biman. In response to their complaint, on 15 June the ministry constituted a four-member inquiry committee with additional secretary Anisur Rahman as chair.

During the investigation, discrepancies were noted in the height measurements for two candidates. In addition, one married candidate was initially found, but was later excluded.

In the final result, 50 men and 51 women were appointed. The airline explained that the 50th and 51st female candidates had identical marks, which led to the appointment of the extra candidate.

On 14 September, the committee head Anisur Rahman told Prothom Alo at his office that the inquiry had revealed procedural irregularities in the cabin crew recruitment. However, he said that whether financial transactions took place could be investigated by law enforcement agencies.

According to the committee’s report, many candidates who scored low in the oral examination nevertheless received recommendations for appointment to the cabin crew posts.

The report states that at Biman’s 223rd Board Meeting held on 30 April 2020, the pass mark for the IQ test (Intelligence Quotient Test) was set at 60 out of 100. For the written examination, the pass mark was set at 30 out of 60 and for the oral examination, 25 out of 40.

A review of the cabin crew’s oral examination scores revealed that the majority of candidates who obtained 30 marks out of 60 in the written examination were recommended for appointment.

Conversely, several candidates who scored more than 40 in the written examination were reported to have failed the oral test, according to the findings.

On 15 March 2022, at its 272nd meeting, Biman’s Board of Directors formed a total of five committees for staff recruitment. It was decided that each committee would include, as an external member, a representative of the civil aviation and tourism ministry.

However, immediately before the oral examinations for the cabin crew recruitment, on 5 May an administrative order abruptly removed the ministry’s representative from the recruitment committee and established a new committee.

The inquiry report states that the ministry’s representative was not removed with the approval of the Board of Directors. Furthermore, the reconstituted committee did not receive approval from the Board either.

In previous recruitment processes at Biman, candidates’ handwriting in the written examination was verified during the oral test. However, for the current cabin crew recruitment, the candidates’ written scripts were not checked during the oral examination.

The inquiry committee believes that verification of handwriting in both tests was necessary, and the failure to do so has raised suspicion. A Biman official, speaking to Prothom Alo on condition of anonymity, stated that concerns regarding the airline’s recruitment process are not new.

There have been irregularities in past recruitments as well. The manner in which the organisation’s misconduct is being exposed is seriously damaging its reputation and public trust.

Under a decision of Biman’s Board of Directors, the Director (Administration) of the organisation, Md. Abdur Rafique, was appointed chair of the oral examination committee for the cabin crew recruitment. The Manager (Administration), Shafiqul Islam, was made the member-secretary.

The inquiry report states that, at the very moment before the oral examinations, the committee chair Abdur Rafique was replaced and Biman’s Managing Director (MD), Shafiqur Rahman, himself assumed the position of chair of the oral examination committee.

This meant the MD was both the recommender for candidates and the approver of those same candidates. The member-secretary was also transferred elsewhere.

Md. Shafiqur Rahman was appointed as the airline’s new MD on 5 September last year. When asked for his comment on the matter, he suggested speaking to the General Manager of Public Relations.

When approached, the General Manager ABM Rawshan Kabir asked for questions to be submitted in writing. In a written statement sent late on Sunday night, he said no such irregularity had taken place in the recruitment and that all candidates had been given equal and fair opportunity and selected on the basis of merit.

Regarding the reconstitution of the recruitment committee, he stated that the committee had been reorganised under the directive of the then Chairman of the Board of Directors of Biman Bangladesh Airlines. He further asserted that no candidate had received any undue advantage as a result of this reorganisation.

No formal regulation governing employee recruitment has been established. The inquiry committee observed that, in the absence of such regulations, the formation, alteration, and revision of recruitment committees were not conducted with full transparency.

The inquiry committee stated that other state-owned companies have formulated their own recruitment regulations and conduct recruitment activities with transparency.

However, Biman has yet to take any initiative to establish recruitment regulations for its employees. This represents a weakness in the organisation.

Questions have been raised as to why Biman recruited an additional 50 cabin crew members. Investigation revealed that on 30 September last year, Biman published a notice for the recruitment of 25 male and 25 female cabin crew.

However, on 15 October, a revised recruitment notice was issued, doubling the number of vacancies. The committee found no rationale for this increase in posts.

After completing all procedures, Biman announced the final results on 27 May, appointing a total of 101 candidates to the cabin crew positions.

Prior to Biman’s transformation into a company, the employment terms and conditions of its officers and staff were governed by the service rules of the former corporation. Since the corporatisation, however, those recruitment-related provisions have not been updated.

Aviation expert Kazi Wahidul Alam told Prothom Alo that a lack of transparency has long been a problem in Biman’s appointments. He said irregularities occur repeatedly in the recruitment of pilots, cabin crew and even drivers.

Because there are no exemplary punishments, such irregularities recur and tarnish the organisation’s reputation. He added that to prevent misconduct, punishment must be ensured.