Cathay Pacific assured passengers today that flights will not be disrupted, especially during the Lunar New Year when traffic is expected to peak, in spite of the continuous threat by cabin crew to take industrial action over pay disputes.
Cathay Pacific refused to reopen negotiations today over pay rises between cabin crew and management. Consequently, the Flight Attendants Union (FAU) threatened to initiate the work-to-rule action whereby staff would do no more than the minimum contractual requirements.
This action would cause delays and disrupt schedules, stated Dora Lai Yuk-sin, the union’s chairwoman. Lai said: “The company has reiterated its position and there is no room for negotiation, so we have submitted our signatures. We will have a meeting amongst the committee [members] to discuss how and when we should respond.”
The dispute is focused on the cabin crew’s demand for higher salaries. Cathay Pacific has proposed a net salary increase of 4.5 percent for cabin crew workers on top of year-end bonuses.
The FAU however is opposed to the offer as they claim that the raise includes mandatory annual increment. This means several longer serving staff will receive little if any pay rises.
Quince Chong, director of corporate affairs, said: “We involved the union in many meetings on the year-end package and addressed a number of proposals they put forward. We remain open to discuss issues of mutual benefit to the crew community and the company at our regular meetings with the FAU, but our year-end pay arrangements were made clear to all staff at the end of November. We will not reopen talks and we need to move on.
“We will do all we need to do to make sure Hong Kong people enjoy the Chinese New Year holidays they have booked with us,” Chong said.
For more information, visit www.cathaypacific.com
Alisha Haridasani
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