CX had a unique opportunity to cement good relations with their pilots some time ago by accepting local recruits, training them to proficiency, thereby creating rapport with the locals in HKG.
Management tried this for awhile, trained local guys, but apparently they were not liked by the expats in the training department because several left the company, hounded out no doubt by those who wanted to keep it an "'ole boys club", expats only. How do I know? Because I have flown (in another company) with one or two of these local guys, and their stories are the same and confirmed by several other retired CX guys. Failure of management to back these local guys up together with the "'ole boys club" to keep it that way has fostered absolutely no support for the HKAOA "action" in the local media. The AOA is seen for what it is....a group that only wants more, never mind the realities of the present economic climate.
The seeds of discontent were sown a long time ago.