Cathay Pacific

[dentarthurdent]

Does anyone have information about working for Cathay at LHR as licensed engineer.

Any and all information gratefully received

[Denzil]

Sent you a PM, i hope it's of help

[spannersatcx]

To the best of my knowledge (as I don'y actually work at LHR), in the hangar, 3 on 3 off 12 hr days, segmented C checks on 744 and A340. Work is carried out in BMI hangar. Smallish team supplemented by BMI guys. there is an advert for an Engineer position in the hangar at the moment, not sure if I can put the url up but here it is anyway job (http://www.aviationjobsearch.com/employer_FE.asp?employerid=735&vacID=26995) there was also recently an ad for a Line Engineer as well, not sure if they are still after someone as it may of been filled.

[geldap]

Here is the long and short of it. Cathay employed around 10-12 engineers for thier expanding hangar ops at LHR around 4-5 years ago. All except one or two have now either left or been "made redundant". I was one of them. The main reason for the disatisfaction was the misleading information given at recruitment - many benefits were promised which did not exist.

The people who questioned this anomoly either resigned or were dismissed. There are I believe still outstanding employment tribunals.

There were around 12 engineers in the hangar which is now down to 5 or 6. Those left are old timers who really do not like any new blood. Word of the poor treatment of staff soon spread around LHR and despite the ad in flight international and aviation job search they did not manage to recruit a single engineer with not one applicant from BA LHR, the main source of recruitment for Cathay.

The shift is sold as 3 on 3 off however it is nothing like that in reality. There is no pattern as there is not (nor ever was) enough staff to man a "pattern" - it is a roster which you get told what days you are working around 3 weeks in advance + all the short notice ad hoc changes due to lack of staff. Coupled to this a total of 20 days leave including public holidays (worst in the industry) poor pay £35000 to start if you are lucky (total of around 4-5% in the last 5 years for newer staff, despite massive profits) little to no training (despite indications at recruitment). If you are fortunate enough to be given a course it is worthless outside of Cathay as HKAR qualifications are not recognised by the JAA for type ratings - this is the only reason the old timers have also not deserted a sinking ship - they do not possess the rating on JAR licenses to go elsewhere.

BMI - the contracted company are reputed to be not tendering for the contract (my view is that Cathay screwed them so much a few years ago there is no money in it) so Cathay will be homeless at LHR. This is as soon as 18 months. They also seem overmanned on the line so no chance of transferring over there I would think.

You will find the managemant at LHR to be very poor, directionless, demotivating and extremely dishonest. The company as a whole runs a bullying style of management from the top down. Those who question find themselves unemployed.

If you would like to work in a dark dingy hangar with rock bottom morale alongside a workforce that are all waiting to leave and consider your career to be on a downward spiral, then Cathay may well be for you.

If you decide to give it a shot then don't resign from your present position before starting - you will know you have dropped a bollock within a week (as many before you have done). Also read the "contract" a "war and peace" size document (by signing it they hope to stem the flow of court cases against them) extremely well and if you are still thinking about it get a solicitor to check the contract and get ALL points you raise clarified IN WRITING.

Nuff said

All the best for the future.

[spannersatcx]

But apart from that it's alright!

[dentarthurdent]

Thanks for all the replies they have given me a few things to think about. Anything else you can think of would be a great help, forewarned is forearmed ( or something along those lines )

Spanners:

Ha Ha:ok:

[geldap]

Dentarthurdent

I have sent you a PM.