Airline asks dead employee for leave paperwork — triggers firestorm online

A Taiwanese airline is in hot water after a flight attendant had been working while unwell and was asked to fill out a leave documentation form to her phone four days after her death.

The incident spark a workplace policy probe and accusations from labour unions of extreme working conditions.

The flight attendant for EVA Airways, identified only as Ms Sun, died after working a shift while reportedly feeling unwell.

Unions and labour officials now come forward to say that the company's labour policies pressure employees into pushing themselves.

The 34-year-old flight attendant worked for EVA Air and reportedly got sick during a long-haul flight from Milan to Taoyuan on September 26. 

She was taken to the hospital after landing but sadly died on October 8.

Then, in a shocking twist, her family got a message from the airline — not to offer condolences, but to ask for proof that Ms. Sun had filed for leave while she was in the hospital.

The family responded by sending back her death certificate, according to local media.

The move set off a firestorm online, with people furious at what many see as a sign of how overworked airline staff are.

Some social media posts, allegedly from Sun’s coworkers, claimed she’d been pressured to keep flying even when she felt unwell.

EVA Air has since apologised, calling the text a “mistake by an internal employee.”

The airline said it had stayed in touch with Sun’s family while she was hospitalised and was “deeply saddened” by her death.

“The health and safety of our employees and passengers are our highest priorities,” the company said, promising a full investigation. Eva Air’s president, Sun Chia-Ming, added that her death is “a pain in our hearts forever.”

Reports say Ms. Sun had been flying about 75 hours a month — within legal limits — and had been with the airline since 2016.

Authorities in Taiwan are now looking into whether she was denied medical help or pressured to skip sick leave.

It’s also worth noting this isn’t the first time Eva Air has faced scrutiny over worker treatment — Taiwan’s news agency says the company’s been fined seven times since 2013, mostly for staff overtime issues.