I always tried to provide impeccable service and anticipate each passenger's wishes. I had great confidence in my job. But the company showed no sincerity at all. I feel betrayed.

The airline's Japan business disappeared. What did you expect?

"Voluntary retirement"? How would that work? "Voluntary" means you can the right to refuse it, so if you did so, then what? Report for duty for non-existent flights? Occupy a non-existent office at Narita?

The judge should be able to clear this up easily by finding out whether their contract obligated a severance payment.

I think she does not complain about being dismissed, that was more or less inevitable, but about the size of the package. Going all the way to a lawsuit is quite rare, companies try to avoid that by paying up, and she should know that nobody will hire her again

Firing full time staff can be very difficult here, would be interested to know more about what actually transpired

When the story says "voluntary retirement", does it mean "redundancy/severance"?

Not giving someone volutantary retirement is hardly a crime, but anyone with a contract should get a redundancy payment.

@GW Firing full time staff can be very difficult here

I found that out when I was chatting with a co-worker about firing someone who wasn't up to par. He told me that the company, Japanese companies, won't ever fire someone because, who knows, something awful might happen. (Some comment about the news in America where some nut job goes berserk after being fired and goes back to the company to shoot his boss and/or co-workers. See, that's what might happen...)

It surely means United in exploitation in the longer form. With more than 20 years there she probably could have heard or known.

Firing full time staff can be very difficult here, would be interested to know more about what actually transpired

This and the following here

He told me that the company, Japanese companies, won't ever fire someone because, who knows, something awful might happen.

No and no again! Folks have short memories, or more than likely no memories, as they werent around when the blood-bath of "ristora" salarymen following the collapse of the bubble!

Which stopped the idea of lifetime employment here in Japan! Now it's contracted employees!

Not giving someone volutantary retirement is hardly a crime, but anyone with a contract should get a redundancy payment.

Only if they are fired prior to the completion of their contract!

Many CA's are in fact contract hires here in Japan,.

There is a lot of missing information/details here, regarding these CA's employment status with United.

Yubaru ...the blood-bath of "ristora" salarymen following the collapse of the bubble...

I don't know about the "ristora" salarymen so I'll discuss this with the same guy who told me about Japanese companies not firing their workers.

I feel sympathy for anyone laid off , but...

I always tried to provide impeccable service and anticipate each passenger's wishes.

This is just a standard job description for any flight attendants, thats what you get paid for.

The airline closed its business in Japan due to a pandemic, its sad but one can hardly expect the airline to keep staff on and paying people for nothing.

exactly. I concur.

"I always tried to provide impeccable service and anticipate each passenger's wishes."

This is just a standard job description for any flight attendants, thats what you get paid for.

Apparently you've never been on a United flight with American flight attendants?