Cathay Pacific cabin crew union receives backing from members to take possible further action against Hong Kong carrier if demands not met
- Vote taken at union’s emergency general meeting on Tuesday to decide possible next steps for the 3,000-strong body
- Lack of rest time and poor rostering arrangements impact service and safety, union representatives say
Cathay Pacific’s cabin crew union has received the endorsement of its members to take further action if the Hong Kong carrier’s management refuses to address what it says are exhausting work rosters that leave little time to rest in between long flights.
The union received unanimous endorsement from more than 90 participants who attended an emergency general meeting on Tuesday – alongside additional proxy votes from more than 1,000 members – to proceed with possible future actions, including labour strikes, if needed.
The Cathay Pacific Flight Attendants Union, which represents about 3,000 cabin crew, held the meeting to decide on its next steps after raising the alarm over working conditions as the carrier ramped up its services in the wake of Hong Kong’s axed travel restrictions.
But its leaders said a strike was their “last resort” and they would first wait for management’s response.
“If they still don’t talk to us directly, we will not exclude the possibility of taking further actions during the Christmas and Lunar New Year holidays,” the union’s vice-chairwoman Grace Siu Wing-yan said. “It is something we don’t want to see as well.”