Cathay staff being pressured, claims union
Flight attendants who rejected Cathay Pacific's plans to abandon unconditional pay rises are being pressured into changing their minds, union officials said yesterday.
Several junior flight attendants had been called in for individual meetings with management and asked why they did not return acceptance letters by the Saturday deadline, said Becky Kwan Siu-wa, chairwoman of the Flight Attendants' Union.
'The mental stress we're feeling from the company is the same as during the [1993] strike,' Ms Kwan said. 'People are feeling very pressured. They fear their job is on the line.' Union leaders last night were drafting letters to their members to remind them to: 'Be strong. Be firm. Don't be scared.' In 1993, industrial relations strained to breaking point, sparking a 17-day strike by cabin crew over Lunar New Year, after which many of their demands were met.
The airline, which lost money last year for the first time in 35 years, has told cabin crew to work four more hours a month - up to 76 hours - for a 3.5 per cent rise.
Those who rejected the offer would work the same hours for a salary freeze. Others could choose voluntary redundancy.
A majority of flight attendants have rejected all three options and are demanding their annual 'grade jump' pay rises ranging from one to four per cent, previously given with each year of service.
By the end of Saturday, the union had received 3,038 letters, representing 63 per cent of the 4,800 flight attendants affected by the company's plans.
By giving the letters to the union instead of the company, the attendants were supporting the union in demanding an automatic pay rise, Ms Kwan said.
Cathay spokeswoman Quince Chong Wai-yan said she did not know of people being called in for meetings. The company was not pressuring attendants to change their minds, she said.
