9th July 2011 – A Time for Reflection
In a couple of weeks it will be 10 years since Cathay Pacific Airways fired 49 pilots as a means of dealing with its work force, and in doing so, committing an act of industrial terrorism. Harsh words that I feel succinctly describe a heinous act.
On the eve of this anniversary I find myself reflecting upon the events of 2001, the causes, the lessons and the future.
Could such an act occur again?
In seeking an answer to this question, it didn’t take long to realise that that the answer actually lies within another question;
What has/has not changed since 9th July 2001?
In 2011, the Cathay Pacific’s management and its workforce are engaged in industrial exchanges over expatriate benefits, AFTLS, Rostering practices, basing contracts, etc, …. The list goes on. The adversarial relationship between the company and its workforce is as bad now as it has been in the past, it’s just that nobody has “pushed any buttons” for a while. The pressure to get on with things is building however and so, only time will tell where this is all leading.
The company still has a “star chamber” and the HKAOA still represents its members. Many of the faces have changed, but have the attitudes changed?
Presently the airline is grappling with a period of significant and substantial change within its fleets, its operations and its training. Significant change and yet some areas of the operations remain steadfastly unyielding to this change. Nothing has changed within Rostering, with the “blinkers” firmly up maintaining the “status quo” while the company attempts to “cut a more perfect diamond” within its proposed new AFTLS.
Meanwhile, the employees will have to stand up for themselves against a one-sided view of the future. Will we again see standing up for oneself on one side of the fence being viewed as industrial activism on the other side of the fence?
Why is it that the employees of this company are invariably left with more questions than they have answers?
Well, I think that it’s because nothing has really changed, which means there is a marked potential for further confrontation. How will each of us play it this time around?
Dragonfly