Message from Director Corporate Development
There has been a good deal of media coverage in Hong Kong and some overseas about the threat of industrial action by the Flight Attendants’ Union over the co-pay aspects of our new RightChoice medical scheme for Hong Kong-based staff.
The Hong Kong public, our customers and our employees are worried that if these threats are realised there will be disruption to our services over the peak Christmas season.
The management wishes to assure all of our staff that we are working assiduously to resolve this matter and prevent the worst from happening.
In response to feedback from staff and their representatives, we have already lowered the level of co-pay for the most junior members of staff.
We have also announced the establishment of a Working Group which will involve staff representatives, including the FAU, to review the scheme in the third quarter of next year when we have some solid experience of how it has settled down.
We are communicating on an ongoing basis with staff about their ideas as to how the scheme might be improved. We have issued an invitation to the FAU for further discussions but they have so far not responded, and plan a large public demonstration in Hong Kong on Monday.
While we recognise that staff hold a variety of views on RightChoice, we consider threats of sick-outs, refusal to serve passengers and even strike action a completely disproportionate reaction, especially at a time when many thousands of people in Hong Kong and many parts of the world are eagerly looking forward to a year-end break flying Cathay Pacific.
The company will continue its discussion with all staff representatives in seeking to resolve the matter and ensure the travelling public and our own employees enjoy a peaceful and trouble-free festive season.
Augustus Tang
Hey Augustus..... What are you going to do on Xmas day when all your flights are manned but no service? What sort of image is this going to show the public about Cathay and their management? What will the mainland directors think of Cathay Management when they can't even control their own staff?
Swire Board - you'd better pull finger and actually pay your staff and listen to their needs. You'll be the laughing stock of other managers around the world for this stuff up. Phillip Chen will be laughing his head off.
You don't believe me? Then wait and see what happens between now and Christmas. The public is starting to realise that Cathay is screwing it's staff. With all the industrial news in the papers lately it's hard to miss. The public is starting to question why?
All I can say is
"BRING IT ON" - Screw CX management