Union denies deal with Cathay
Cathay Pacific made further concessions yesterday to the Flight Attendants Union and said it was ready to sign an agreement, but the union has stressed that no consensus has been reached.
The airline last night said all differences between the two parties had been eliminated at the last meeting held on Thursday and the union had not disagreed with the deal. It said the only question that remained was when and how it could be signed.
But the union later denied this and insisted on consulting its members, as scheduled, at today's extraordinary general meeting before proceeding to further moves, including a possible strike starting tomorrow if union members opted for it.
It has also asked the company's management to attend its meeting to have direct communication with members on more issues concerning their demands.
However, the airline had declined the invitation, saying it was inappropriate for the management to attend a union members' meeting.
The latest twists came after Cathay said yesterday morning it was prepared to sign an agreement without a clause on shift swapping by 2.30pm yesterday at the Labour Department's office.
It said the remaining item in dispute on issues concerning flight attendants working fewer than 70 hours a month had been removed to address the union's concerns.
The airline had previously backed down on a proposal to restrict shift swapping among flight attendants unless they had flown no less than 70 hours but still insisted that issues concerning attendants flying less than 70 hours had to be dealt with.
Flight attendants flying for more than 70 hours receive additional pay of HK$100 an hour, while those who work less can still be guaranteed a base salary. Only about 5 per cent of the attendants fly less than the benchmark.
Charlie Stewart-Cox, general manager of the inflight services department, said the airline wanted to sign in good faith what it described as a fair agreement.
'We are prepared to sign in good faith and with two overriding considerations in mind: the interest of the travelling public and the well-being of our cabin crew,' he said.
'We committed early on in the discussions that we understood the importance of roster flexibility to our crew and we would not take any steps that would inhibit roster swaps.'
Dora Lai Yuk-sim, the union's chairwoman, said they would not sign anything. This was not only because they were informed about the employer's move at short notice, but because they wanted their demands addressed.
'If the company can send the general manager or senior executives to have direct dialogue with us and demonstrate their sincerity, there might be satisfactory results.'
The airline appeared anxious to settle the dispute during the busy Easter holiday. It said it had informed the Labour Department about its concession on Saturday morning and issued a statement yesterday morning confirming its latest position. It then issued another news alert in the evening, saying that a consensus had been reached with the union.
Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, yesterday urged the two sides to continue dialogue. He noted that the differences between the employer and employees had narrowed.
Michael Wu Siu-ieng, Travel Industry Council chief, estimated that at least 50,000 travellers would be stranded at Hong Kong airport if Cathay staff went on strike for five days.
