I would have thought that CX would revisit the voluntary unpaid leave option again to see if there were any more potential takers before announcing mandatory unpaid leave.
I fully appreciate that all airlines are facing difficult times ahead but many, although not all, of the legacy carriers are facing reduced profits from the record highs of recent years, not losses.
There are several issues that will be raised if CX try to mandate unpaid leave. Firstly is the issue of leave not allocated to officers for the 2009 year. Secondly is that, as they continue to state, the majority of the loss are from unrealised hedging losses, NOT actual cash losses. Finally, and probably the greatest issue, is that the vast majority of the loss recorded for the last financial year will be that of fuel hedging losses and cargo fines. Both of these are items are far removed from the control of the majority of CX staff bar the few who were responsible for the decisions that led to these losses in the first place.
Staff will find it hard to accept unpaid leave and bail out the company without serious answers and public accountability by management for their stuff ups.
Of course it is their train set and they will do as they please.