Letters | Cathay Pacific firings: companies must not follow airline’s example
- Readers discuss corporate policies on vaccination, the popularity of environmental issues and how an arbitrary retirement age prevents useful members of society from contributing
Research has shown the two vaccines available in Hong Kong, namely BioNTech and Sinovac, involve side effects ranging from fever and diarrhoea to more serious ones like smell impairment and inflammation of the heart muscle. Although severe side effects are less common, people should have the right to choose whether they want to bear those risks. It is unethical for a company to sack employees who don’t want to take those risks.
The government should note this, having extended a lifeline of HK$27.3 billion (US$5 billion) to Cathay last year. The Labour Department should offer former Cathay staff help in finding new jobs. The department should also make it clear that workers should not be sacked for being unsuitable for inoculation so as to discourage companies from adopting Cathay’s stance, especially when the inoculation rate among the city’s working population is reaching a satisfactory level.
Moreover, the Equal Opportunities Commission has warned that Cathay may have violated the Disability Discrimination Ordinance. Legal action against Cathay could deter other companies from following suit.
Given the harm to the company’s reputation, its management should reconsider its policy. Stakeholder theory holds that a company should be responsible to all its stakeholders, and employees are undeniably a very important group whose opinions should be taken into consideration.