Cathay Union May Escalate Action Over New Contracts

The Cathay Pacific Flight Attendants' Union has warned they may escalate their actions, if the airline's management fails to address their concerns and postpone a deadline for remaining staff to sign a new contract.

The warning came after the union held an emergency meeting on Monday, which around 360 members attended.

The union's chairwoman, Zuki Wong, said they talked about the redundancy arrangements in the hours-long meeting, after the flagship carrier sacked 5,300 Hong Kong-based staff last week.

Concerns about the new kind of contract that Cathay Pacific is offering to those who can still stay on the job were also raised, she added, with many feeling worried and unclear over the terms it includes.

And regarding the fact that the company has offered extra compensation to those staff who accept the new contracts by Wednesday, Wong said many felt uneasy that they only have a few days to think about a decision that has a permanent impact.

She told RTHK's Candice Wong that although she doesn't know exactly how many have signed the new contract so far, some have already told her they regret doing so.

"We have received quite a lot of enquiries ...they want to withdraw the consent because they didn't read the terms and conditions carefully before their consent," Wong said.

"On the redundancy day...when the crew [were] in panic, once they see the consent form, they just signed without reading the terms and conditions. So after a few days, they found out that the terms and conditions is totally not acceptable."

She said some members were particularly unclear about the terms regarding retirement funds and housing allowances stated in the new contract, and feel it's unfair that they will have their salaries slashed as well.

The union is expected to hold a meeting with the company's management on Tuesday, in which Wong said they will demand the company postpone the deadline for staff to sign the new contracts.

And if their calls fall on deaf ears, the union said it will consider escalating their actions after all members at the meeting supported the idea.

"We have the full support from our members, so yes we may take some actions...Everything is under consideration. Nothing is off the table. We still need time to discuss."

Meanwhile, the Hong Kong Aircrew Officers Association has asked to hold a meeting with the Labour Commissioner Carlson Chan – over the new contracts that Cathay Pacific has offered them.

The association's chairman, Captain Tad Hazelton, said no consultation has been held between the association and the company on the issue.

He added that it's "grossly unfair" to ask staff to sign the new contract in one or two weeks, after which termination is automatic.

He hopes to meet with the commissioner or another senior representative of the Labour Department on Tuesday to discuss potential action to be taken in order to preserve the rights of Cathay pilots.