Sacked Cathay Dragon union leader says company asked about Facebook posts before firing her

Cathay Dragon union leader Rebecca Sy says she was questioned by bosses about three Facebook posts and then told she had been dismissed from her job as flight attendant

Airline’s parent company earlier warned employees that expressing support for protests on social media could breach rules of mainland aviation authority

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Rebecca Sy says she demanded an explanation for her dismissal but managers would not give her a reason. Photo: K.Y. Cheng

Published: 11:55pm, 23 Aug 2019Updated: 6:30am, 24 Aug 2019

An airline cabin crew union leader sacked from her job says Cathay Pacific management asked about her Facebook posts before dismissing her.

In the first account of her firing, Cathay Dragon union leader Rebecca Sy On-na said on Friday she was questioned by management on Wednesday about three Facebook posts, which she believed resulted in her dismissal as a flight attendant.

Sy’s sacking, revealed on Thursday, came days after the airline’s parent company Cathay Pacific Group warned employees that expressing support for ongoing protests in Hong Kong on social media could breach the rules of mainland China’s aviation authority.

The chairwoman of the 2,000-strong Hong Kong Dragon Airlines Flight Attendants’ Association was the latest of the 14 aviation professionals sacked or who had resigned after Beijing stepped up pressure on companies to take a stand against the anti-government movement sweeping the city.

“My colleagues feel depressed and sad. It is not just about the termination of my job. It is the whole issue – it’s terrifying because of this white terror,” a tearful Sy, employed for 17 years by the company, said at a press conference.