FAILURE to resolve the Cathay Pacific staff dispute could provoke civil disorder in the territory, Legislative Councillors warned yesterday.
But union leaders said the airline cabin crew strike should act as a catalyst for the Government to speed up reform of labour laws.
Legislators' concerns were passed on to the Commissioner for Labour, Mrs Katherine Fok Lo Shiu-ching, during a 11/2-hour meeting where they urged the Labour Department to resolve the dispute as soon as possible.
United Democrats legislator Mr Lee Wing-tat said after the meeting that some members were concerned strikers might take stronger action if they failed to reach an agreement by this morning.
''The failure of the negotiations by midnight may drive the supporting organisations to more rigid actions like protest, marching, or even boycott of the airline flights,'' he said.
''When it comes to this point, it is no longer a mere labour dispute.'' Councillors said that flight attendants charged with intimidating colleagues who refused to join the strike should go before a court of law.
Employee representatives of the Labour Advisory Board reiterated their disappointment at the lack of comprehensive legislation to protect trade union activists.