Wednesday Liar 6/12/17
 

Dear AT. I see you are due to announce both details on ARAPA, and the year end 13th month. A polite suggestion: if it is anything less than a full 13th month, you can expect a sudden and dramatic drop in availability of your pilots for the foreseeable future. As far as ARAPA goes, you can be sure that anything less than full coverage of our mortgages that we took out in good faith based on a career promised housing allowance (and in my case, over 9 year left of my 15, which should be 25), then not only will you find me unavailable over the holidays (Christmas and CNY), but you will also find many C and T pilots not engaged in training anymore.

I can also assure you that most of the pilots in this airline are actively pursuing other employers, and such a move will certainly be the final push needed to help many of us make the decision to leave. In case you haven’t yet noticed, resignations are beginning to effect the schedule (or, as an example, are 80 cancelled sectors in a month on LA alone just coincidence?). Just a reminder: CX has cheated most of us out of fair pay rises, profit sharing, 13th month, medical and now housing. Who on earth would continue to persevere with seeing eventually the food on their table stolen?

I also had a chuckle at your “New Joiner Drinks” comments. Particularly about your insistence on their ‘fresh enthusiasm’. Well, if there is one thing you and your management are adept at doing, it’s killing off ANY form of enthusiasm. They will be just as jaded as the rest of us within weeks, and no doubt the DEFO’s will be desperately seeking new jobs back home when they realize they have been duped into living in the worlds most expensive place on one of the worlds cheapest contracts. Keep pretending you are in control. Your legacy will be one of abject failure. You have a NICE week. :suspect:

MM, great post. Just a reminder to all and sundry that, regarding the 13th month, if they 'pretend to pay you', you can 'pretend to work'. If you all know what I mean.

It's particularly good for morale to know that our DragonAir colleagues are getting their full 13th month (don't misconstrue my comment, they deserve it, as do WE). Apparently we are worth less. It's always fun taking money out of your meager savings to pay the HK tax bill (you or your family don't need that money). Especially this year, when you know that it is entirely due to management f*ck ups with fuel etc. But don't worry, management will get their increased bonuses. That is ALL that matters. Happy Holidays. (is that a sniffle coming on....?).

I suggest no one pay their HK tax. The government then goes after CX for it. Poetic justice.

If all the trainers quit tomorrow, the airline would stop running. Just sayin...

Yep, with great privilege comes great responsibility. How about the C&Ters not just uphold flight standards, but also contract integrity? They have the power. Use it properly!

Great post! Once again, I am just a PPL and as far as CX/KA is concerned, a very frequent Diamond traveler. Whereas any further delays (to the already unacceptable delays that I experience on the sectors I fly with you) wold be a real pain, I fully support the pilots cause! It is shamefully embarrassing that the Management of your company, through their own making, has created such dramatic financial situation (the fuel hedging losses) and takes this out on its staff (not only cockpit of course). However, this bunch of Swire inbreds are not even remotely embarrassed about this. They claim you are very well paid; if that is the case, then I can say well deserved and nothing else than a contract they have signed with you. Any unilateral change of your pay package is unacceptable as such, and even more so when the reason for this is self inflicted by Management. If you are all suddenly mentally affected by this and are unfit to fly (although a pain for thousands of pax like me), I understand and fully support you! Don't give in! Don't give up. C and T pilots must be affected too; hope so at least!

If all the pilots quit/ struck tomorrow, likewise. Don't expect others to do your fighting for you

Game changer. I hope all of you have made your plans. I have. The money represents one months work. Just saying.

Can the AOA please hold a motion for a strike. It is loooooonnnngggg past time.

If a trainer resigns, he still has income coming in, if a line pilot resigns he has no income coming in.. You spot the difference.

Dragon. Many trainers were waiting to see what the final proposal was regarding 13th month and housing. Two of my colleagues told me a short while ago that this is a step too far. Trust me, the training department is about to implode. Even they can't allow themselves to be treated with contempt like this.

I hope you're right !

We will soon see. Certainly things cannot continue like this. Our management are a disgrace, and they now heap on top of incompetence abject contempt. I will be leveling the score soon enough. What about the rest of you? Can't wait to be done with this airline, and I envy those that are already comfortably settled in their new jobs. To the traveling public: be careful who you plan on flying with over the Christmas and CNY periods.

words on the grapevine apparently cx doesn't even need ALL trainers to quit tmr, only about a hand full of STCs say byebye is enough to turn this circus into another express fiasco few months ago

HYG. Please don't be dissembling. It is not just up to the STC's, but all levels of training. We must all finally say enough is enough. I resigned after the fiasco of the letters to Anna. Now, with the complete contempt shown, why would ANY of my former C and T colleagues continue to contribute to an organization that is hell bent on destroying you and your families lifestyle and financial security? Who, and why?

Correct.
So the company is not paying 13th month to captains. Let's see how many C&T actually WILL resign from that position in the next few days - I bet not many if any. :ugh:

Not one C&T Captain will resign from Training. The other Jellyfish in the sea.

Dan, many are waiting to see what the reality is. If it is a definite attack on our lifestyles (and today would count as that btw), then many will resign. At the very least I wouldn't want to be a pax over this coming holiday season.

Where is the AOA leadership on this ?

Time to vote them out then.

If that’s true, then it is all over. The best thing this Company has ever done for pilots was reject that massive package of concessions. It’s like the HKAOA got a second life. It should have been dead and buried after that, but somehow God has spared the Association from itself. It’s almost as if the Company felt sorry for us. How many lives does the HKAOA have? Surely not nine...

Sad
 

Very sad and cynical however I'm sorry to say I bet that you will hear a group will now sign up for training stating "I need the money" because of the new "year end arrangements"

#Disgusted

Flex. It's not helpful throwing out hand grenades like that. Let's regroup over the next week and form a policy, endorsed by the AOA regarding C and T. I am making quiet protestations to former colleagues who are still in the department (and I would add that CX has effectively crossed the line with most of them). It is time for the AOA to amend the training ban, to declare that no member can join until members resigning are first re-employed in their positions when we finally reach industrial peace (...somewhere around 2098 ). If the Captains of this airline don't respond to this gross insult and discriminatory contempt shown us, then we deserve all the misery we shall have. It's time for every one of us to be counted. No place, no reason to hide anymore in the C and T department. The only legitimate response to what has just happened is our own display of contempt for their behaviour. Time to hit back and hit back hard.

I really appreciate your rallying cry to arms Traf, keep up the good work Eventually, even the most complacent amongst our ranks will eventually see the light and have to rise up to the cause.

I appreciate that this is an anonymous forum but please don’t falter in your commitment to the pilots of this once great airline.

Kudos to you Sir!

The sad thing is that for the longest time I was a 'company man'. Was proud to work for a once great airline. Eventually, I came to see that the leadership of our company was self-serving, corrupt, deceitful and bullying. At some point you can't ignore the malignancy. I finally had enough and resigned from C and T. I will have very little respect or sympathy for my former colleagues who now do not do the same. Our profession, our livelihoods are at stake. Our 'leadership' is the worst in the industry. They have no sense of respect for their highly motivated and professional aircrew, just complete contempt as demonstrated by yesterdays slap in our faces. I personally will now dedicate my remaining days to making sure that pilots around the world are aware of the toxic and hopeless job that has become that of 'pilot' in CX. For those of us still here suffering under their thumb, resist at all levels, at all times. Make them hurt. That is all they will understand. I will be leaving soon, but you can be assured that I will still be here on PPRUNE shining a light on this horror that is CX management, until my last breath. That is the least I can do for my colleagues and profession.

Traf
 

Only 100% correct Traf - frustration and cynicism taking its toll....:ugh:

Traf, is the HKAOA President still in training?

Trafalgar,

I do enjoy your posts but a little self reflection and humility would further your cause.
Many of your colleagues were about 2 decades ahead of you in understanding where Cathay management was going and acted appropriately. Don’t be overly critical of any colleague who is a few weeks behind you.

I don't agree that the company perceives us as "worth less" -- I think that they view us as being "worthless".

Cast a strike ballot ...all it takes is a motion and second

Curtain
 

HPE = Huge Pile of Excrement

Just another waste of millions and valuable time.

HPE was always a delaying tactic by the company, with the added bonus of co-opting the union into 'agreeing' to the cuts they seek. The very process was flawed from the start. With the disgraceful treatment of the pilots (and particularly the Captains), I expect a statement on Monday announcing the withdrawal from what is obviously a farcical process. No negotiation, no concessions, no letting up of CC or the TB (in fact, now is the time to for the union to suggest that CandT members resign under protest). Time to start acting like a union, and more importantly, time for the pilots to start taking their destiny into their own hands. I've seen enough abuse and disrespect to last a lifetime. How about you?

Wonder how they’d function if a bunch of left seaters just didn’t turn up?

So lets put it to the test ?
24 hours of no captains. All stressed out by being discriminated against and belittled throughout the company.
Everyone else can turn up and get paid but for 24 hours NOTHING moves.
Let management explain that to London, Beijing, Legco and the travelling public.

I think in many ways that reality is taking hold. And the FO's and SO's must also resolve to play their part and defend the profession and their career potential.