Local crew complain of unequal packages
Veteran Hong Kong Chinese pilots say they have long been made to feel like second-class citizens by being denied the allowances granted to their expatriate colleagues.
'This isn't just about money. It's about respect,' one long-serving pilot told the Sunday Morning Post. 'If it was a pure money issue we would have all signed [the new contract], but it isn't.
'This is what it comes down to: if I am a captain and I am Hong Kong Chinese, I can fly with an expatriate first officer beside me, knowing he earns more than I do in terms of a total package. If you are Chinese, that is just the way it works.'
A second senior Hong Kong Chinese pilot said the problem of unequal pay for expatriates had deep roots in Hong Kong, but he said times had changed and the practice was becoming less accepted by the public.
'We grew up in a multicultural environment,' the pilot said. 'We don't want this to be a fight among ourselves, between Hong Kong Chinese pilots and expatriate pilots. We just want everyone to be paid the same.'
The pilot said there were Hong Kong Chinese pilots who had left the city and would not return because they knew they would not get the market rate. They believe they will be treated differently and given compensation on inferior terms.
'This is a problem that stems back to colonialism,' the pilot said. 'It doesn't matter how I joined the company or what I do. There is no way I will get an equal package purely because I am Chinese. That is very distressing. When the company makes so much money in Hong Kong, they should at least reward their Hong Kong Chinese employees fairly.'
