Cathay Pacific yesterday wrote to pilots warning that the prospect of negotiations with their current union leadership was 'unthinkable'.
The letter comes less than six months before the expiry of the pilots' current contracts, as a protracted industrial dispute drags on.
It accused the Aircrew Officers' Association (AOA) leadership of taking a new approach this year designed to position Cathay Pacific as an 'unsafe airline'.
Damage to the airline's revenue had run into hundreds of millions of dollars, according to the letter. The union leadership had 'taken a step too far' and lost 'any last shred of trust' from management in shifting the focus to safety, the letter said.
However, it implied Cathay might negotiate with the pilots over pay and rostering under a different regime by mentioning the prospect of completing a rostering agreement.
'It is unthinkable that there could be any meaningful dialogue with an AOA leadership hell-bent on trying to damage the revenue streams and the safety reputation of the airline,' the letter said.
