Flight attendants demand 8 percent pay raise in each of the next two years

The threat of a work-to-rule by flight attendants at Cathay Pacific Airways looms just as holiday travelers begin counting down to Chinese New Year.

The union of the flight attendants at the airline is demanding a salary increase of 8 percent over each of the next two years.The union representing the flight attendants has called a meeting next Monday to conduct a vote on what action to take if the company refuses to re-open negotiations or negotiations fail.

Cathay announced in November that it would give the flight attendants pay increases of up to 4.5 percent. The increase came into effect on Jan 1.

The union's Vice-Chairperson Becky Kwan said "4.5 percent is a fake number!" She was speaking at a press conference Thursday, which the union called as one to "disclose the truth of Cathay's pay rise". She charged that Cathay Pacific was "playing numbers games" and giving out "misleading" information.

The union claimed that the actual raise is only 1 to 1.5 percent for monthly-paid crew members and 3 to 3.5 percent for hourly paid crew, since Cathay's offer includes annual grade jump, which averages 3 to 3.5 percent.

"Therefore the increase for the group of monthly-paid crew is between HK$263 and HK$382 per month, or HK$3-5 per hour," she added.

Kwan described the pay raise as "an insult", considering Cathay earned HK$12.8 billion in profits last year.

"It feels like working for a charity ... It's very shameful for a big organization to do this," said a flight attendant who refused to disclose her name.

Cathay improved the pay raise for pilots to up to 15.2 percent before Christmas last year. That also upset the flight attendants. "I feel the company was challenging us," Kwan said.

The union asked for a "real 4.5 percent increase" in the 2010 pay scale in addition to the grade jump, which accounts for the demand of 8 percent.

The union stressed it had no intention to harm the public interests.

"We are still waiting for the company to change its mind. There are still two weeks to go. If they have sincerity to negotiate, the time is enough to settle this," said Tsang Kwok-fung, general secretary of the union.

The airline company, however, denied the union's charges.

Maria Yu, corporate communication manager, said the contractual annual grade jump did not apply to most of Cathay's employees. A pay raise of 4.5 percent inclusive of the grade jump is just unfair, she said.

Yu also stressed the company has to consider the different salary structures and job natures of the employees, and being fair and equitable. "We can say we did it," Yu told China Daily.

The union estimated that the pay raise of 8 percent would cost the airline company about HK$70.6 million, about one twentieth of its total annual fuel bill.

China Daily

(HK Edition 01/07/2011 page1)