Cathay Pacific agrees to raise retirement age of cabin crew to 60 from 55 after intense lobbying and talks
But deal comes with conditions, such as a cap on the number of such workers and salary cuts
Cathay Pacific Airways has agreed to raise the retirement age of its 10,000-strong cabin crew from 55 to 60, after intense lobbying by a union and talks that stretched almost two years.
In a post on its Facebook page on Friday, the Flight Attendants Union said: “Today is [a] great victory for all workers in Hong Kong, especially cabin crew who have been stereotyped as young and pretty girls.
“In this long-standing fight, even though there have been so many challenges and obstacles within, we take this as a great leap forward in eliminating age discrimination in Hong Kong’s aviation industry.”
Cathay Pacific had all along said it would not back a deal unless it secured cuts such as a reduction in housing allowances, medical benefits and pensions, as a term extension would cost too much.
Today is [a] great victory for all workers in Hong Kong, especially cabin crew who have been stereotyped as young and pretty girls
The airline, one of Asia’s largest international carriers, has lost money for two consecutive years and posted a surprise HK$263 million loss in the first six months of 2018. It signed off on the deal on Thursday.