PlusHundred
5th Feb 2002, 10:34
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Tuesday, February 5, 2002
Plea as pilots mourn death-fall officer . . . .By VICTORIA BUTTON. .--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://hongkong.scmp.com/usr3/Mac/gedt/BCATH1b.jpg. .Paying respects: Cathay pilots and friends file into St John's Cathedral, where they heard an appeal from the first officer's friend for an end to their dispute. Picture by Dickson Lee . . . .Hundreds of Cathay Pacific pilots and friends filled St John's Cathedral yesterday to mourn Greg England, a sacked junior first officer who fell to his death last week aged 31. . .His friend Corey Bousen struggled with emotion as he urged an end to the ongoing industrial dispute and described how England had been on medication for stress.
"All he wanted was his job back. He didn't want to be caught up in this bitter dispute," said Mr Bousen, a publishing executive. "It is for this reason that, on Greg's behalf, I urge this dispute to end. To Cathay Pacific's management, I ask that they not let Greg's tragic death be for nothing."
England - one of 49 flyers sacked en masse last July by Cathay in response to the pilots' industrial campaign - was found dead last Tuesday after falling from his third-floor flat in Kennedy Road, Wan Chai.
Mr Bousen called on Cathay's chairman, James Hughes-Hallett, to intervene to end the dispute as a "good-hearted and extremely intelligent man".
A Cathay spokeswoman said the company was sorry to hear of the death, but the decision to terminate pilots' contracts was "confirmed" and the airline was not prepared to negotiate with the Aircrew Officers Association's leadership.
Cathay has refused to negotiate with the pilots since industrial action started in July.
Mr Bousen said that on the evening before his death, England - a Canadian from Edmonton - had gone to ice hockey practice, had drinks afterwards and organised with a friend to go out the next night. It was possible that the alcohol had exacerbated England's allergic reaction to the medication, he speculated.
Police said a white powder, suspected to be an illicit drug, was found in the flat along with the medication, but that there was no suicide note.
Tuesday, February 5, 2002
Plea as pilots mourn death-fall officer . . . .By VICTORIA BUTTON. .--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://hongkong.scmp.com/usr3/Mac/gedt/BCATH1b.jpg. .Paying respects: Cathay pilots and friends file into St John's Cathedral, where they heard an appeal from the first officer's friend for an end to their dispute. Picture by Dickson Lee . . . .Hundreds of Cathay Pacific pilots and friends filled St John's Cathedral yesterday to mourn Greg England, a sacked junior first officer who fell to his death last week aged 31. . .His friend Corey Bousen struggled with emotion as he urged an end to the ongoing industrial dispute and described how England had been on medication for stress.
"All he wanted was his job back. He didn't want to be caught up in this bitter dispute," said Mr Bousen, a publishing executive. "It is for this reason that, on Greg's behalf, I urge this dispute to end. To Cathay Pacific's management, I ask that they not let Greg's tragic death be for nothing."
England - one of 49 flyers sacked en masse last July by Cathay in response to the pilots' industrial campaign - was found dead last Tuesday after falling from his third-floor flat in Kennedy Road, Wan Chai.
Mr Bousen called on Cathay's chairman, James Hughes-Hallett, to intervene to end the dispute as a "good-hearted and extremely intelligent man".
A Cathay spokeswoman said the company was sorry to hear of the death, but the decision to terminate pilots' contracts was "confirmed" and the airline was not prepared to negotiate with the Aircrew Officers Association's leadership.
Cathay has refused to negotiate with the pilots since industrial action started in July.
Mr Bousen said that on the evening before his death, England - a Canadian from Edmonton - had gone to ice hockey practice, had drinks afterwards and organised with a friend to go out the next night. It was possible that the alcohol had exacerbated England's allergic reaction to the medication, he speculated.
Police said a white powder, suspected to be an illicit drug, was found in the flat along with the medication, but that there was no suicide note.