Cathay Pacific flight attendants plan strike August 18-31
Way to ramp it up.
Cathay Pacific flight attendants are planing a strike from Aug. 18 to 31 to protest cuts in pay and benefits for cabin staff.
The announcement follows a protest by more than 1,000 members of the flight attendants’ union outside the headquarters of the Hong Kong flag carrier on Thursday.
Earlier in the week, hundreds of cabin staff staged a sit-in at the airline’s check-in area in Hong Kong airport, Apple Daily reported Friday.
The union is demanding better treatment after the company cut some cabin crew allowances and benefits.
Also, it is protesting pay discrepancies for junior staff renewing their contracts and loss of legal support for workers involved in civil action.
The airline has slashed its out-station allowance for Melbourne to A$35 (US$27.75) a day from A$60 but raised the hourly allowance for long-haul flights by HK$10 (US$1.29).
On Thursday, the union sent 250 members to distribute leaflets in Central, warning about potential disruptions during the August peak travel period.
A Cathy Pacific spokesman said the company is seeking talks with the union in the weeks ahead.
She said it’s too early to deal with the strike but added she hoped the union would take the interests of passengers into consideration.
Most travel agencies said they have not made any contingency plans and their summer tour packages are unchanged.