<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size="2">Cathay tries to avert pilot strike
Sean Kennedy
Thursday, June 21, 2001 at 18:15 JST
A Cathay Pacific Airways jet passes the control tower at Hong Kong's international airport on June 20. REUTERS NEWS PHOTOHONG KONG — Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd said on Thursday it would hold more talks this week with the main pilots' union to try to settle a row over pay and working conditions before threatened industrial action on July 1.
In a statement after government-mediated negotiations between the two sides, Cathay said talks to resolve the dispute would resume on Friday at 9 a.m. (0100 GMT).
Pilots voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to take industrial action from July 1 if no agreement was reached, raising the possibility of potentially costly disruptions at the start of the busy summer holiday season.
Cathay and the Hong Kong Aircrew Officers Association (HKAOA), representing 1,200 of Cathay's 1,400 pilots, agreed last week to government meditation to try to settle the dispute.
The Cathay statement on Thursday said the two sides "had a frank exchange on their respective positions regarding the subject of remuneration and benefits".
The pilots have declined to specify the action they will take if no agreement is reached by July 1, but past actions have included "sick-outs" and work slowdowns that disrupted flights.
In a 1999 pay row, pilots staged a costly two-week "sickout" and forced the cancellation of hundreds of flights. Cathay countered by laying on a fleet of more than 30 charter aircraft to maintain part of normal services, and said later the operation cost about HK$500 million (US$64 million). (Reuters News)</font>
Source:
JapanToday