With Cathay Pacific’s profits finally soaring, flight attendants demand a pay rise to match
- Negotiations with cabin crew union could be industrial relations tightrope for Hong Kong’s flag carrier
- After two years of losses, parent company expects to deliver a HK$2.3 billion profit for 2018
Cathay Dragon’s cabin crew workers have asked for more money and a higher retirement age, seeking to become the first group of employees to benefit from the parent airline’s return to profitability this year.
The demands emerged on Wednesday as union officials for the 1,900 flight attendants of Cathay Pacific’s regional airline prepared for five days of contract talks from March 18.
Still, the impending negotiations could be an industrial relations tightrope for Hong Kong’s flag carrier as it tries to sustain hard-won profits while containing costs.
The demands of Cathay Dragon’s cabin crew included a 3 per cent rise on basic pay and a 5 per cent rise for payments accrued while flying. The group asked for the retirement age for new hires to be raised from 45 to 60.