THE right to withdraw labour is a fundamental human right which any civilised community should encourage and uphold, particularly in the face of seemingly oppressive management practice.

Senior Purser Rachel Varghese is to be congratulated on her leadership in the Cathay Pacific dispute supporting fellow workers in their valiant stance not to undertake the duties of junior cabin staff and to hold out until the last possible minute beforeagreeing to sign on for duty. She is further to be congratulated on the wisdom of making ''the hardest decision of her life'' in a way which assisted her colleagues in returning to work promptly and in an orderly way. In the face of seemingly oppressive management practice - and this applies equally to coal miners, bus drivers, teachers, journalists, dockside workers and airline cabin staff alike, workers are left with no alternative.

Given sound management structures and a solid negotiating framework, the workforce in most industries is generally responsible and responsive. Had Cathay Pacific recruited sufficient staff to provide appropriate staffing levels, the strike may well have been avoided. I would suggest that in their next series of recruitment advertisements, Cathay Pacific should give prominence to the photograph of Ms Varghese which appeared on the front page of the South China Morning Post, on January 29.

Dr LEONARD DAVIES Kowloon Tong