More Than 90 Percent Signed New Contracts: Cathay

Cathay Pacific said on Thursday that more than 90 percent of flight attendants and pilots who were spared from the airline's recent mass layoffs have signed new lower-paid contracts.

According to the airline, 2,610 pilots and 7,340 cabin crew signed up for the new terms, amounting to 98.5 percent of the pilots and 91.6 percent of the flight attendants.

Cathay insisted that the contracts are “competitive”, but said it respected the decision of those who chose to leave instead of accepting the new terms.

"These staff will be offered packages that go beyond statutory requirements. None of the severance payments will be offset against pension contributions, and staff will be reimbursed for any unpaid leave they took in 2020," an airline spokesman said.

The chairwoman of Cathay's Flight Attendants Union, Zuki Wong, said the fact that 10 percent of her colleagues had refused to sign the new contracts suggests that the terms weren't that attractive.

"Most of them told us they signed because they don't want the word 'termination' on their CV, but they aren't satisfied with the new contracts," Wong said.

She said those who rejected the contracts were mostly senior cabin crew or those from foreign countries who decided to retire instead.

Wong also said it's unfair that the cabin crew who are leaving won't receive the extra month of salary and other benefits given to those who were made redundant earlier as part of the airline's restructuring.