Cathay Pacific cabin staff reflect the city's ethos

Hong Kong people admire those who stand up for themselves. There is plenty of admiration for anyone clever enough to get the best out of a negotiation and strive for a better standard of living. But when these attributes are applied to members of labour unions, somehow a completely different view is taken.

This view is on display as Cathay Pacific is at loggerheads with its staff over pay and conditions, and industrial action has only just been avoided during a period when the airline is most vulnerable. And this is not the first time.

So far, so predictable. Equally predictable are the squalls of dismay over the staff having the temerity to fight for their interests, and to do so, as is the way in negotiations, when those on the other side of the table are most vulnerable.

What is unusual about Cathay staff, in the Hong Kong context, is that they are unionised and have an abnormal history of conflict with their employer. Perhaps this is why their collective action provokes the ire of people who write letters to this newspaper. Yet what the flight attendants' union is doing is pretty standard overseas and, arguably, very much in line with the ethos of Hong Kong.

First, they are supporting one another in the finest traditions of this place.

Second, they are struggling for a bigger piece of the pie - albeit a pie which, their employer maintains, is shrinking in size.

And third, they are using pressure tactics at a time when they are most likely to succeed, that is, by threatening industrial action during a peak travel season.