Cathay staff agree to joint protest over medical fees
Join Date: Dec 2007
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Cathay stands firm on medical policy
Nickkita Lau
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Cathay Pacific is standing by its new staff medical policy despite a protest by 500 flight attendants yesterday.
Members of the Cathay Pacific Flight Attendants' Union marched from Chater Garden in Central to Pacific Place in Admiralty - headquarters of Cathay's parent company Swire Pacific - to protest the policy, which requires them to contribute to the cost of medical consultations .
The policy comes into effect on January 1, 2008 and covers 10,000 employees including all ground duty staff and flight attendants who joined the company after June, 1997.
Yesterday was the last day for employees to sign up voluntarily.
Cathay insisted co-payment was reasonable as the policy offered employees more coverage, and denied profiteering as its own healthcare spending will increase by 10 percent.
At a union meeting last week members proposed strike action if management did not withdraw the policy.
Cathay's inflight services general manager Charlie Stewart-Cox called union chairman Becky Kwan Siu-wa irresponsible, although she said the union itself did not endorse industrial action.
Dane Cheng Ting-yat, Cathay's general manager of corporate communication, said he did not understand the union's claim.
"We've invited our staff, including the FAU, to talk many times," Cheng said. "I don't understand why they keep saying we refused to talk to them."
Cathay is confident the current dispute will not affect flight services during the upcoming festive season.
meow!!!!!!
Nickkita Lau
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Cathay Pacific is standing by its new staff medical policy despite a protest by 500 flight attendants yesterday.
Members of the Cathay Pacific Flight Attendants' Union marched from Chater Garden in Central to Pacific Place in Admiralty - headquarters of Cathay's parent company Swire Pacific - to protest the policy, which requires them to contribute to the cost of medical consultations .
The policy comes into effect on January 1, 2008 and covers 10,000 employees including all ground duty staff and flight attendants who joined the company after June, 1997.
Yesterday was the last day for employees to sign up voluntarily.
Cathay insisted co-payment was reasonable as the policy offered employees more coverage, and denied profiteering as its own healthcare spending will increase by 10 percent.
At a union meeting last week members proposed strike action if management did not withdraw the policy.
Cathay's inflight services general manager Charlie Stewart-Cox called union chairman Becky Kwan Siu-wa irresponsible, although she said the union itself did not endorse industrial action.
Dane Cheng Ting-yat, Cathay's general manager of corporate communication, said he did not understand the union's claim.
"We've invited our staff, including the FAU, to talk many times," Cheng said. "I don't understand why they keep saying we refused to talk to them."
Cathay is confident the current dispute will not affect flight services during the upcoming festive season.
meow!!!!!!
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As we know, when the Cathay Spokesperson speaks, their lying. You have to love their propaganda machine. I am sure they invited the FAU back many times, NOT.
Now this seems to make perfect sense: the new scheme will cost Cathay 10% more for increased coverage and will cost the employee more out of pocket, but the affected staff doesn’t want to pay out of pocket.
Now to me, this seems like a simple solution. Maintain the current levels of cover and don’t have the affected staff pay. Cathay saves 10%. Finished…………………
Ah yes you may think but what happens if someone is lying? It is actually costing CX 10% more? I don’t think so. That’s why they want it pushed through.
Seems they lie to the public all the time and get away with it. Maybe that’s why they think they are untouchable. I guess the public and Pilots are stupid enough to believe them in the first place (If you don't take a pay cut, they will shut down the bases).
If the affected staff takes action, get on your running shoes folks, take cover and make sure you have your adult diapers so you don’t make a mess.
Oh dear, can't get my smiles to work.
Now this seems to make perfect sense: the new scheme will cost Cathay 10% more for increased coverage and will cost the employee more out of pocket, but the affected staff doesn’t want to pay out of pocket.
Now to me, this seems like a simple solution. Maintain the current levels of cover and don’t have the affected staff pay. Cathay saves 10%. Finished…………………
Ah yes you may think but what happens if someone is lying? It is actually costing CX 10% more? I don’t think so. That’s why they want it pushed through.
Seems they lie to the public all the time and get away with it. Maybe that’s why they think they are untouchable. I guess the public and Pilots are stupid enough to believe them in the first place (If you don't take a pay cut, they will shut down the bases).
If the affected staff takes action, get on your running shoes folks, take cover and make sure you have your adult diapers so you don’t make a mess.
Oh dear, can't get my smiles to work.
its£5perworddammit
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Ah yes you may think but what happens if someone is lying? It is actually costing CX 10% more? I don’t think so. That’s why they want it pushed through.
Its 10% more compared to last year's insurance cost.
Oranges this year cost more than apples last year also.
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Lies, damned lies and statistics.
Our total pilot salary bill has gone up since 2000 but the cost per flying hour has gone significantly down. WHich statistic do you want to quote? Of course we now have 50% more pilots but on average they earn less, thanks to the ever decreasing ratio of A scalers, and we all do approx 20%+ more hours now than back then.
So medical costs go up because prices increase AND staff numbers go up. A GP panel doctor here in HKG gets less money than a GP does in Australia. Lauren Bramley has had to resign from the panel due to inadequate compensation. I am sure CX still 'spins' to new joiner pilots that you get 100% coverage - just as long as you can find a Dr willing to take $270HK for seeing you. Specialists in HKG have two lists....one for those that are in a real medical scheme, like BUPA, and one for CX. The latter group usually get appointments way off in the future. Of course this is completely opaque as it is not allowed but ask any Dr friends you might have.
Lastly, I see that the limits for dependant operations have gone up. I have been talking to some medico friends who suggest that typical operating costs have gone up over 100% since the policy was introduced...CX limits just went up about 16%.
Who was it that quoted it was death by the nibbling of a thousand ducks;-/
So medical costs go up because prices increase AND staff numbers go up. A GP panel doctor here in HKG gets less money than a GP does in Australia. Lauren Bramley has had to resign from the panel due to inadequate compensation. I am sure CX still 'spins' to new joiner pilots that you get 100% coverage - just as long as you can find a Dr willing to take $270HK for seeing you. Specialists in HKG have two lists....one for those that are in a real medical scheme, like BUPA, and one for CX. The latter group usually get appointments way off in the future. Of course this is completely opaque as it is not allowed but ask any Dr friends you might have.
Lastly, I see that the limits for dependant operations have gone up. I have been talking to some medico friends who suggest that typical operating costs have gone up over 100% since the policy was introduced...CX limits just went up about 16%.
Who was it that quoted it was death by the nibbling of a thousand ducks;-/
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If anyone is smart enough to do the maths (this excludes most idiots on discuss.com), they would've realised that the 'extra 10% increase in cost' as claimed by the company, will actually come from the co-pay scheme out of staff pocket.
their publicity department is just too good
their publicity department is just too good
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As usual, the CX spin doctors are out in force. NC - I totally agree. CX has significantly failed to keep up with the real costs of everything from medical insurance to hotel allowances. The Right Choice scheme is woefully inadequate and no wonder more and more Doctors withdraw from the panel. It's just not worth their while or the hassle.
Indeed, medical costs have skyrocketted in the last few years. But the Right Choice increase has seriously failed to keep up. Also, more and more medications/items that are covered by the medical scheme are being dropped off the list of medications covered under Right Choice.
CX are smart. They rarely make large changes. They make a change here, a change there, and before you know it, the overall package is quite different to that which you started with when you joined. No prizes to guess who has benefited.
To put it in another way, the spending power of our package has significantly decreased over the last 10 years. The 'home-currency-dollar', the 'allowance-dollar', the 'medical-dollar', the 'lifestyle/productivity-dollar', the 'staff-travel-dollar' and the list goes on. Just about every facet of our package has taken a hit in one way or another. And the company (oops, sorry, Group) is openly making the best profits yet.
Indeed, medical costs have skyrocketted in the last few years. But the Right Choice increase has seriously failed to keep up. Also, more and more medications/items that are covered by the medical scheme are being dropped off the list of medications covered under Right Choice.
CX are smart. They rarely make large changes. They make a change here, a change there, and before you know it, the overall package is quite different to that which you started with when you joined. No prizes to guess who has benefited.
To put it in another way, the spending power of our package has significantly decreased over the last 10 years. The 'home-currency-dollar', the 'allowance-dollar', the 'medical-dollar', the 'lifestyle/productivity-dollar', the 'staff-travel-dollar' and the list goes on. Just about every facet of our package has taken a hit in one way or another. And the company (oops, sorry, Group) is openly making the best profits yet.
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AOA 'support'...
...and here is the posted response of the AOA President to the valid concerns of the FAU and LSU who actually got people out onto the streets in protest...
...so what sort of support would the AOA expect from the FAU or LSU if and when we have serious issues with the Company as we appear to be going down the road of with threats of legal action in response to the demise of FACA, (a consequence of the AOA failing to oppose the imposition of CoS08)?
What solidarity from our colleagues elsewhere in the Company can we expect when we can only bring ourselves to 'fully sympathise' with their plight?
The AOA President must be able to do better than this.
As representatives ourselves, we fully sympathize with the FAU and LSU over how this affair has been handled and understand their concerns as to whether Cathay Pacific is sincerely committed to working with its staff groups over issues that will affect them.
...so what sort of support would the AOA expect from the FAU or LSU if and when we have serious issues with the Company as we appear to be going down the road of with threats of legal action in response to the demise of FACA, (a consequence of the AOA failing to oppose the imposition of CoS08)?
What solidarity from our colleagues elsewhere in the Company can we expect when we can only bring ourselves to 'fully sympathise' with their plight?
The AOA President must be able to do better than this.
