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Letters | Cathay lay-offs inhumane to staff who lifted Hong Kong carrier
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I am writing to express my opinion on Cathay Pacific’s recent lay-offs. The Covid-19 virus emerged earlier this year, and the pandemic it sparked is still raging. People’s lives, businesses, supply chains and entire national economies have been upended. The aviation industry, in particular, has been hit hard. Global travel was as good as halted for months and only began sputtering back to life in recent months, but even then it is a pale shadow of its former self.
The nearly 6,000 staff laid off by Cathay Pacific Airways under a restructuring decision included around 2,000 cabin crew and about 550 pilots working under the Cathay Dragon brand, while across the group the job cuts affected 4,000 cabin crew and 600 pilots.
For workers such as flight attendants and pilots, it can be difficult for them to find new jobs immediately. When they chose to work in this industry, they invested several years of their lives to obtain an assessment certificate. They have a very specialised set of skills and might struggle to quickly master those needed for other jobs (“Hospital offers free training to laid-off aviation staff after Cathay jobs cull”, October 23).
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In addition, I think the company’s approach is inhumane. Although operations have been made more difficult by the pandemic, the employees have also worked hard and contributed to the company, bringing it benefits. However, the company chose a time when so many employees had no work or income and not only dismissed them but scrapped an entire brand, causing much heartbreak and panic.
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Lovette Lam, Tseung Kwan O
Jobs cuts difficult but were for the greater good
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