Cathay Crew, Pilots Eye Joint Action Over Contracts

Employees of Cathay Pacific are planning joint action and a public rally next week to highlight their demands over new contracts that the Hong Kong flagship carrier is offering its staff.

The Flight Attendants’ Union (FAU) said it will have a meeting with the Hong Kong Aircrew Officers' Association (HKAOA) which represents Cathay pilots on Thursday to look into possible joint action.

The union said it has also applied for permission to hold a public assembly on November 4, either at the entrance of Cathay Pacific City, or an area outside Tung Chung MTR Station.

The FAU said they submitted an application to the police on Wednesday night.

The union has also notified the Airport Authority of the proposed assembly because an interim injunction on protests, introduced after last year's anti-government demonstrations at the airport, is still in effect.

Last week, Cathay announced that it was sacking some 5,300 Hong Kong-based staff and shutting down its subsidiary, Cathay Dragon, as the Covid-battered carrier struggles to survive the pandemic.

The airline also offered new contracts with less generous benefits to the rest of its staff and asked them to accept them before midnight on November 4.

Those who do so stand to gain several thousand dollars, which Cathay described as a "transition allowance".

People who choose not to sign by November 4 will get one more week to do so, or they will be sacked.