UpdateSigns of progress in talks but Cathay Pacific crew union vows strike will go ahead unless all demands are met
First of three issues resolved but union insists there can be no concessions and vows to go ahead with walkout unless all demands are met
Cathay Pacific's cabin crew union has vowed to press ahead with strike action in August if all three of its demands are not met - as talks ended yesterday with only one issue resolved.
"There is no room for concessions. We will not give up any of our demands," said Dora Lai Yuk-sim, chairwoman of the 6,300-member Cathay Pacific Airways Flight Attendants Union, which represents about 70 per cent of cabin crew at the airline.
The union has warned it will strike from August 18 to 31 if the disputes are not resolved.
The first outstanding demand concerns employees who have finished their initial three-year training contracts. Those who signed permanent contracts before April 2 got a pay increase from HK$144.70 per hour of flight to HK$176.80, but those who signed after April 16 would see their wages rise to only HK$159.30.
The union wants an hourly rate of HK$176.80 for all.
Secondly, it wants to reverse a cut in the lunch allowance for flight attendants in Melbourne, granting them A$60 (HK$372) per meal instead of A$35.